Eat Wild, the development board for British game, is urging shoots to Plan for the Plate ahead of the season.
Now in its third year running, Eat Wild’s Plan for the Plate initiative sets out to remind and encourage shoots to speak to their game dealers now, ahead of the coming season. These early conversations will allow game dealers to get an idea of how many birds each shoot will be sending to them and secure retail outlets over winter.
Simultaneously, as demand for birds shot with non-lead ammunition continues to grow, Eat Wild is calling for lead-free shoots to sign up to the lead free register so that dealers, processors, and stockists can source game to service this growing market.
Shoots simply fill out a short questionnaire that asks for top-line information such as the date on which the shoot went lead free and the estimated number of birds the shoot will put into the food chain each season.
Barney Stratton of Stockton Shoot said “Every shoot day is an exercise in harvesting food, and all shoots need to plan a route to market for every bird next season, so we have a very close relationship with our gamedealer Willo Game, as much in the Summer as the Winter. Good communication between shoots and dealers is essential to the success of the game meat market, and if we want it to continue to grow, we must all do our bit to plan for the plate.”
Nick Lister, Owner of Ox Close Fine Foods said “Everyone needs to make a commitment. We must eat what we shoot, and everyone involved must take the relevant steps to ensure that happens. Game dealers need to know the days and bag sizes that shoots are planning now so that we can plan for those birds to go to market. It’s also important for shoots to fully commit to being lead free – alternating between lead and lead free is not an option if we are to supply game into new markets.”
Through their Plan for the Plate initiative, Eat Wild aims to develop and support the growth of the game meat market further, while underpinning the importance of responsible and forward-thinking practices in game management and distribution to protect the future of shooting.