A break from the madness

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

Government advice is STAY AT HOME it's not hard to understand.  Government paid professional rangers have been told to stay at home so that means shooting is not essential.  At the end of the day nobody cares if deer eat a few more trees or foxes kill  a few lambs at least nobody has died. I want to keep my FAC

 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

I'm bowing out of this conversation before gets stupid.

[FOXHUNTER 5,020]

15 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

I'm bowing out of this conversation before gets stupid.

Let's just hope you don't get the virus or any of your family. STAY AT HOME....its not forever.

 

[Alsone 789]

On 24/03/2020 at 17:52, FOXHUNTER said:

Government advice is STAY AT HOME it's not hard to understand.  Government paid professional rangers have been told to stay at home so that means shooting is not essential.  At the end of the day nobody cares if deer eat a few more trees or foxes kill  a few lambs at least nobody has died. I want to keep my FAC

 

Actually no-one has said you HAVE to stay at home if engaged in pest control. The BASC and others have said it may be justifiable. The best advice is to speak to your local force, preferably in writing or by recorded phone call, setting out your reasons for going shooting and asking for approval. For example I'd probably say something along the lines of (as applicable, and to make it quite clear this is an example of my personal opinion as to what I might say and not is necessarily the correct approach, and is NOT recommended as a precedent or guaranteed legally safe to use).... "to safeguard the supply of grain / vegetables to food production manufacturing facilities by the shooting of rabbits, woodpigeon and other pests over fields of grain / vegetables, that if left unchecked could degrade the quality or volume of supply of those grain / vegetables to the food supply chain and possibly endanger the very business producing them and adversely affect the food production facilities relying on them ," and / or  "protecting livestock animals destined for the food chain, by the shooting of fox and other predators that if left unchecked could degrade the numbers or quality of food animals supplied to slaughterhouses and food production facilities and possibly endanger the very business producing them and adversely affect the food production facilities relying on them ". I might also say something about high demand and challenging times.

Obviously it would still be down to your local force to approve any application for permission and it would be down to you to show you were carrying out pest control to the extent you may set out in whatever you may choose to say. As I said, that's an example of something that I might personally say only. It's not a precedent or to be relied on. Seek legal advice as to what you want to say and whether it's lawful. I accept no liability if anything in what I might say personally is used by you and proves wrong or leads to prosecution or loss of certificate or any other negative outcome.

As for the merits of venturing out. I personally see very little risk in driving alone or with a member of your family that lives with you, straight to a close by farm, with fenced fields that no-one has access to provided you maintain social distancing with the farmer and his animals, and provided you can justify your visit and have approval from your Firearms Dept. for those reasons.

Edited April 7, 2020 by Alsone

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Just checked the conditions of use on my FAC. It says nothing about pandemics, epidemics or partial or full lock downs.

[BenBhoy 4,706]

https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/popular-reads/five-films-for-fieldsports-fans-to-watch-112036

[Sausagedog 7,381]