Trusted Game Conference

We have just returned from the Trusted Game Conference at Englefield. 

What an event!

Trusted Game are a small group of Specialist Avian (bird) vets who thought that it was necessary for the Game Industry to have an easily accessible but high quality Assurance Scheme.  Hence they set up Trusted Game.  The only previous Assurance Scheme for Game Shoots was that devised and run by the BGA, but this has not been active over the last couple of years, although it is being resurrected under Aim to Sustain. 

The Trusted Game Assurance Scheme is simpler and may be seen by many Shoots and Keepers as being more user friendly.  Whatever, it was fantastic to go to their conference last week.  

The panel of speakers included not only the circle of Trusted Game’s vets from across the Country but

George Davies (Chairman of the Game Farmers Association);

Dr Marnie Lovejoy who gave a fascinating talk on Environmental Law (now affecting Shoots!);

Ian Jones of Hafrens Vets on Biosecurity and what Shoots, etc., need to do in order to keep their birds safer from Avian Flu and the like;

Jodie Case of the GWCT on to what extent do released Game birds contribute to increased numbers of foxes decimating breeding waders;

Then on the second day, very interesting talks from;

The largest Game Farmer in France and;

The same from Bill McFarlane, who is a very well known and respected Game Farmer in the USA.  Really interesting to hear the differences between what we do rearing wise over here as compared to in the States.

Finally we had Stephen Crouch who is the Chairman of the National Game Dealers Association, telling us what the food market wanted by way of dead Game going forward and what we as Shoots needed to do to meet this market, which is so important to the future of shooting.

It was a great conference which really got us thinking and Dr Mark Elliott, Dr Dan King and Dr Rita Alves of Trusted Game should be congratulated for having the confidence to organise this and put it on.  We in the Shooting World literally need to up our game and never has this been more important than with the forthcoming Election.  Getting everything that we do to the highest standard is perhaps our best chance of continuance.  We would strongly recommend that anyone at all interested in this look at the Trusted Game Website (www.trustedgame.co.uk) and consider their Shoot joining in this Scheme.