Countryside shoots ‘save NHS millions’
Game shooting saves the NHS millions every year, a report has found.
The personal benefits of exercise plus the public health gains to pollution being removed from the atmosphere by wooded areas are two of the principal ways in which the sport benefits society, according to The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).
The body has conducted its first assessment of the “natural capital” benefits of shooting.
The term is defined as the sum of financial and social benefits from a natural environment and is gaining currency in policy-making organisations.
The report comes amid continued attacks on the sport by celebrities including Chris Packham.
The analysis found that NHS and local authority budgets would be saved £64.3 million a year in public health costs, £37.6 million of which would come from the health benefits of removed air pollutants by woodland managed by shooting, and £20 million in physical care costs plus £6.7 million in mental health costs, on the basis that “the fitness and mental well-being of the average person shooting is higher than the average citizen”.
The NHS is increasingly embracing the concept of “social prescribing”, whereby activities – often ones outdoors – are prescribed to boost health via wellbeing.
However, a spokesman did not say whether health bosses would consider prescribing shooting.
The removal and storage of atmospheric carbon by land managed for shooting would also assist the drive towards net zero by £382 million.
This figure would come from the extra woodland created for shooting and pest control that prevents damage to trees.
Ian Danby, BASC head of biodiversity, said: “The carbon impact of shooting in woodlands has never been assessed before and reveals the huge role shooting plays in capturing and storing carbon, moving us all towards our net zero carbon targets.
“Shooting provides the driver for larger woodlands, new plantings and better management, and the control of deer and grey squirrels numbers helps negate the loss of carbon by keeping existing trees healthy and allowing new trees to survive and thrive.
“The benefits of taking regular exercise, especially outside, on our physical health and our mental health are well understood and shooting or supporting shooting requires you to be active.”
Mr Danby added: “Taking part in shooting, from walking your gundogs, to looking after habitat, game and other wildlife as well as the days when you are actually shooting is saving the NHS millions of pounds in avoided costs.”
The report was compiled by BASC, Economics for the Environment Consultancy and Strutt and Parker.
