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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has set out proposals to restrict the use of lead ammunition for outdoor shooting.
The proposals would place tighter restrictions on live quarry shooting and outdoor target shooting. In some cases, this would require shooters to use alternatives to lead ammunition.
Government ministers in England, Scotland and Wales will now consider the HSE’s published opinion on the proposed restrictions, which are based on information gathered by two public consultations.
Lead ammunition is internationally recognised as a risk to human health, wildlife and the environment. Lead is toxic to birds and animals and can cause land contamination. Lead poisoning poses a particular threat to wildfowl and birds of prey, as over 7,000 tonnes of lead enter the environment every year.
In 2010, the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG) was established by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to consider the issue.
LAG concluded that an eventual phase-out of lead ammunition would be the only effective way to address the risks to wildlife and human health.
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These proposals are set out by HSE in its role as the Agency for UK REACH, which concerns the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals which may pose a risk to health and safety.
Under the proposals, the use of lead shot for live quarry shooting and target shooting would be prohibited. HSE highlights in their statement that the proposals do not amount to a complete prohibition on live quarry shooting or target shooting in Great Britain.
An exception, or ‘derogation’ would apply to Olympic-level athletes using lead shot for target shooting. This is provided that individuals who meet the definition of a “competitive athlete” inform HSE about their intended supplier and how many cartridges they intend to shoot in a 12-month period. This exception would effectively apply to about 40-60 athletes each year.
Indoor shooting will not be affected, as the risk of wildlife ingesting lead does not arise at fully enclosed shooting ranges. Military, police and government security services would be exempted, as would those using lead ammunition for technical testing or forensic analysis purposes.
There is no intended derogation for ‘humane killing’ of animals, as this is considered a use of ammunition for live quarry shooting.
Dr Richard Daniels, HSE’s Director of Chemicals Regulation Division said:
“Following a comprehensive analysis of the evidence, we propose new restrictions to protect wildlife, particularly wildfowl and birds of prey, from lead poisoning. They would prevent an estimated 7,000 tonnes of lead entering the environment each year.
“The final agency opinion follows significant responses to two public consultations. We worked through nearly 11,000 responses – dwarfing the recent exercise in the EU.
“This detailed work, carried out under our UK REACH obligations, sets out the necessary balance we have struck to protect the environment and minimise disruption to those who shoot.
“Currently, the risks of lead shot to the wider environment are not adequately controlled. While there are already legally binding measures in place to protect Britain’s wildlife in designated wetlands from the use of lead shot, our analysis has demonstrated the need for further restrictions.
“People will still be able to continue to shoot, but we are proposing that for some outdoor uses in the future, alternatives to lead ammunition would need to be used.”
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