This is WOS’s Position Statement on Gamebird Releases and Wild Birds

• WOS is supportive of NRW’s proposals for a gamebird release licensing system in Wales to regulate the industry.
• WOS considers that NRW should include conditions in such licenses and the criteria under which licenses can be withdrawn.
• WOS calls for enforcement of the legal requirement that all gamebird businesses with birds having outdoor access are included in the poultry register.
• WOS is seriously concerned about the risks of HPAF spread facilitated by gamebird releases, especially the release of Mallard, and seeks assurance from Welsh Government that action to contain any such outbreak is implemented immediately.
• WOS acknowledges the benefits of broadleaved woodland and hedgerow planting being carried out by some shoots and the probable gain for wild birds from gamebird food being distributed on intensively managed farmland.
• Wos believes that more research is needed on the impact of gamebird releases on predator control and how this might impact on wild birds and supports any investigations and legal action taken against incidences of illegal raptor killing.
• WOS encourages research on the impact of large-scale gamebird releases on native species including invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles.

Do have a look at the full document at https://birdsin.wales/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Gamebird-Releases-Position-Statement-March-2026.pdf : in addition to the position statement itself, the document gives detailed background to the statement which is given above.