For hundreds of years, shooting has been a huge sport in England’s countryside. It has become a symbol of wealth and the country. But do all farmers like shooting? Why are shooters able to shoot on farmers’ land? Should shooting be allowed?  

The main thing that is shot for sport are pheasants. According to the Game and Wildlife Conservation trust, three quarters of birds released for shooting are pheasants, while the rest are mostly red-legged partridges. The conservation estimates that around 25 million pheasants are released onto perhaps three million hectares of land. Where I live, you see pheasants everywhere: on the roads, on walks and in fields. Nearly all these pheasants have been bred for shooting.  

Shooters are able to shoot on farmers land without their permission. Historically, when tenant farmers began buying their land from the landowners, many landowners kept the shooting rights so they could still shoot on the land they had just sold. This means that, even now, many farmers still do not own their land’s shooting rights and so have no control over who can shoot on their property. However, some farmers do own their own shooting rights and so can charge shooters money to shoot on their land.  

Shooting season in the UK is from September to February and during that time, in North Yorkshire, it is hard to go a week without hearing shots being fired. Many people dislike shooters as they feel it is inhumane and potentially dangerous. Some think it is cruel to raise animals to purely be shot and to have no other purpose. Also, shooters can be a great hindrance to farmers – especially if farmers do not own their own shooting rights and therefore have no control over shooters.  

Jo Martin, a farmer who lives just outside Ripon said to me that “shots were splattered in the yard while my children were playing, my telephone wires have been shot down twice by shooters and shots have been fired over my home multiple times.”  

However, many people believe that shooting is a good thing as it is important for the countryside, and it is a tradition that has lasted for generations. Some argue that shooting is good for your physical and mental health, improves your hand-eye coordination and allows people to experience nature and the environment. Also, many farmers can make money from shooting, as they own their own shooting rights and so can charge people to shoot on their land.   

So, do you think shooting should be allowed? Should all farmers be given the chance to own their own shooting rights? Is shooting inhumane and dangerous or healthy and good for the environment?