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Campaign letters

Did you know you can write to government departments, your local council, parliamentary representative, and local businesses to get your voice heard?

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Writing a letter or email is an effective way to help campaign to protect UK wildlife.  Use one of our templates to draft your own email and voice your ideas and concerns. 

Government proposes the continued hunting of
red and Amber listed birds

A recent public consultation is being considered by the Government and they are proposing the continued hunting of Red and Amber Listed birds.  Yes you heard that right.  Stand with us to and fight this outrageous proposal.  Send this email campaign letter to Defra.

Email Subject Line:  Time Sensitive Action Needed

Email Addresses:     

Consultation Email -  WildlifeManagementAndCrime@defra.gov.uk

Angela Eagle - angela.eagle.mp@parliament.uk 

Emma Hardy - emma.hardy.mp@parliament.uk

Baroness Hayman of Ullock - haymans@parliament.uk 

Stephen Morgan - stephen.morgan.mp@parliament.uk

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - jenny.riddellcarpenter.mp@parliament.uk

 

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Dear Defra

 

I’m writing because I’m extremely concerned about the Government’s proposals in the ‘Protecting Wild Birds’ Consultation, which is under consideration at the moment.

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The Government is proposing the continued hunting of native wild birds on the Red and Amber List of Conservation Concern.  We face a critical opportunity to align our legislative frameworks with modern ecological realities. Allowing the continued legal hunting of birds already identified by science as facing severe population decline, fundamentally undermines national conservation targets. 

 

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  • The consultation closed on Sunday 17th May, with feedback due on 10th August.

  • The Government aims to change Schedule 2.1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to protect hunted wild birds.

  • At present, there are 24 species of birds listed on Schedule 2.1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 that can be hunted for entertainment in an open season.

  • But 17 of these 24 wild birds are on the Red List (7) or Amber List (10) of Birds of Conservation Concern.

  • The majority of these 17 threatened birds are not covered by the consultation.  Three are on the Red List (black grouse, grey partridge and ptarmigan) and 8 are on the Amber List (gadwall, greylag goose, pink-footed goose, mallard, moorhen, shoveler, teal and wigeon).

  • The consultation only included 6 of these 17 threatened birds.  They also propose adding one more threatened species to this hunted list.

  • Of the 7 threatened bird species in the consultation, 4 are on the Red List (European White-Fronted goose, goldeneye, pochard and woodcock) and 3 are on the Amber List (pintail, snipe and woodpigeon). 

  • The Government is proposing that only 2 of these 6 existing birds already on Schedule 2.1 should be removed across all 3 countries. These are the pochard and European white-fronted goose.  

  • At least one of the 3 governments proposes the continued hunting of 2 Red Listed species (goldeneye + woodcock) and 2 Amber Listed species (pintail + common snipe).  Add the woodpigeon, and that makes 3 Amber Listed birds.

  • Proposed solutions include removing a species from the schedule 2.1or extending the close season of others.

  • Extending the ‘close season’ provides no guarantee that birds will be protected. This is because hunters could: 

    • go on twice as many shooting trips in the reduced hunting season.

    • extend the hours that they are shooting.

    • kill twice as many birds during a shorter time frame.

 

 

How Can You Help?

I urge you to exclude all Red and Amber Listed birds from the updated Schedule 2.1 to safeguard the future of our most threatened avian species.

Protecting these vulnerable bird populations is not just an ecological necessity; it is a moral imperative to ensure our environmental laws actively foster recovery rather than permitting further depletion.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this & I look forward to your response.

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​Kind regards,

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Trail Hunting BAN

The Labour government committed to a ban on trail hunting in their manifesto. Ahead of introducing legislation, Defra launched a consultation to gauge the views of the general public. You can read about the proposed trail hunting ban here. 

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Following on from this consultation, we want to keep the conversation going. Use the template below to ask your MP to support a ban on trail hunting and remove the exemptions that currently exist under the Hunting Act 2004. 

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To find your MP and contact information click here

Email Subject Line:  End Trail Hunting for Good

Email Address:   Find Your MP's Email         

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Dear ...MP

 

I’m writing to you as a constituent because I am concerned that the consultation on Trail Hunting, will fail to achieve its intended goal of ending Trail Hunting.  It is vital that all the exemptions are removed as they are a vehicle for breaking the law.

 

Killing animals for human entertainment devalues their lives, and impacts the survival of several much loved mammals.  As a modern society, we should be aspire to a compassionate world view where wildlife can co-exist peacefully.  Allowing hunting to continue fails to provide protection for a natural world already under threat.

 

Trail hunting only emerged after the 2004 Hunting Act so cannot be considered "a traditional country pursuit."  It is generally seen by many as a legal loophole that acts as a cover for the illegal hunting of mammals. Even when hunts claim to follow artificial trails, there continue to be reports of wild animals being chased and killed. 

 

I am in support of: 

A full ban on trail hunting with the removal of all exemptions.

Measures to prevent the Trail Hunts converting to Drag Hunts.

Stricter controls with existing Drag Hunts.

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I would like to know:

Can you represent my concerns in the House of Commons?

Will the Government ensure that all the exemptions from the Hunting Act 2004 are removed?

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Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to your response.

 

​​Kind regards,

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Name

Location

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PROTECT WILDLIFE FROM
FLEA AND TICK TREATMENT

Recent research into flea and tick treatments has revealed they are leaching into our environment and killing everything from birds to mayflies.  If you feel passionate about this issue, why not email the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).  They are making decisions on

the recent consultation now.

Email Address:   consultation@vmd.gov.uk

Email Subject Line: Concerns About Consultation Decisions

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Dear Veterinary Medicines Directorate

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I’m writing to express my concern in the rising evidence that two common chemicals in over-the-counter pet flea and tick treatment, fipronil and imidacloprid, are “linked to increased offspring mortality” in birds and are “in UK waterways at levels that could harm aquatic insects such as mayflies and dragonflies”.

 

Whilst veterinary medicine provides crucial protection for animals, it is of equal importance that they are safe in our environment. Unfortunately, in our current regulatory system, the environmental harm of veterinary medicine is not properly accounted for. It is vital that the government seeks alternatives to the parasitic drugs currently used, for the sake of wildlife protection.

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To tackle the immediate issues that these insecticides pose to our environment, I am asking you to: 

  • Review the distribution of pet flea and tick treatment that contains the chemicals fipronil and imidacloprid, and investigate other options.

  • Wildlife advice is handed out alongside flea/tick treatment purchases.

  • Maintain re-evaluations of veterinary insecticides whenever new research is presented.

  • Include veterinary drugs in the Environmental Quality Standards.

  • Maintain regulation of the assessment and mitigation of environmental risk within veterinary medicine.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Kind regards,

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