Countryside Alliance - love the countryside

Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Simon Hart writes: The Moorlands Association this week released an Uplands Manifesto, which makes a number of important recommendations to the next Government about safeguarding our precious moorlands. Unsurprisingly it identifies shooting and related moorland management as the beating heart of English and Welsh uplands.

Game- to-Eat is delighted that, for the second year running, it is to be the main sponsor of the Living Heritage country shows. The thirteen show schedule kicks off in Thame on the weekend of 3rd April and then moves around the country until October 2010. The Living Heritage shows are the ideal platform to show a new audience how versatile game is, and Chefs Rob Marles and Tony Robertson will be showcasing their skills. To accommodate the interest in cooking game the demonstration theatre will be bigger and better with even more seating this year. Read on for dates and venues....

The Countryside Alliance has welcomed the consultation and the draft code of practice on the welfare of 'gamebirds reared for sporting purposes'. The draft code is the result of several years work by the Defra working group, which included vets, the Game Farmer's Association and animal welfare organisations. The final code is expected to come into force in April 2010. The code reflects the results and findings of research undertaken by the Game and Wildlife Conservancy Trust and the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), at the request of Defra.

The Telegraph reported this week how a new report has shown how consumption of game dishes has soared as shoppers become more adventurous with their choices. New figures released from TNS Worldpanel confirmed that consumption of game in the UK has risen by 15% in the last year. The research shows that game was eaten in shops, pubs and restaurants on 31.7 million occasions. This is fantastic news for the Countryside Alliance’s Game-to-Eat promotional campaign, now in its 9th year. Game-to-Eat has organised in-store sampling of hot British Gressingham Pheasant in a number of Tesco stores across the country on 19 and 20 November. Click here to view the stores participating in tastings on Thursday 19th November, and here to view those participating on Friday 20th November.You can read the Telegraph article here .