Animal Aid

Annually, more than 45 million pheasants and partridges are purpose-bred to be used as feathered targets. Only a tiny fraction of these will actually be eaten. Hundreds of thousands of breeding birds are confined inside metal battery cages for their entire productive lives. It is our aim to spread the word about the misery and cruelty involved in this industry and to persuade people to demand a ban on the production of birds for ‘sport’ shooting in Britain.

Many people believe shooters kill a bird or two ‘for the pot’ – the notion of gamebirds as food is one projected by pro-bloodsports media campaigns – and are horrified to learn that pheasants and partridges are mass-produced on an industrial scale, to be shot at for pleasure.

In June, an important Parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM 1684) was tabled by David Taylor MP calling for an end to the mass production of birds for sport shooting. In just over a month, his EDM attracted the support of more than 50 MPs. The EDM will be re-tabled (with a new number) at the start of next Parliament, towards the end of 2009.

We need as many people as possible – friends, colleagues and people in your city or town – to sign our form letter asking their local MP to support the re-tabled Early Day Motion. You can download copies from our website or order them from us. You can then send the signed ones back to us and we will forward them to your MP at the appropriate time.

Thank you for all your help.

Take action!

• Order materials and EDM form letters to do a street stall or leafleting
• Watch our undercover film from last shoot season and put a link to it on your Myspace and Facebook accounts
• Send this letter to your local newspaper
• Download petition
• Find out more about ‘gamebird’ shooting