British Game Assurance has publicly thanked the shooting community for their invaluable support as over £136,000 of levy is raised from the 2022/23 season.

The voluntary levy is how guns can contribute to the marketing of every game bird. These contributions, large and small, have allowed BGA to take enormous strides in the promotion and development of the game meat market.

Although 2022 saw a third cycle of anxiety across the shooting and food business worlds in which BGA operates – from post-pandemic and war-related shortages of feed, diesel, gas, labour, and ammunition to avian influenza – it achieved many goals.

These include game being served in the NHS, selling Eat Wild products direct to the public, a strong presence at shows across the UK, the perfect roast-pheasant-to-go, pioneering Plan for the Plate, and much more.

BGA broke new ground in two industries, bringing farm-assurance to game shooting and wild shot game to consumers and outlets that have never tried it.

The levy makes BGA accountable to everyone who chooses to pay it, and to everyone who collects it. The support levy-payers have shown over this season means that, since the creation of BGA, over £1,276,000 has been raised in levy alone, quite apart from the support of those who have chosen to register for the Assurance Scheme.

Huge thanks, in particular, go to the guns from Roxton, Bettws Hall, Criddle Fieldsports, Constable Burton Estate, James Purdey & Sons and Dalesport Sporting Agency.

BGA director Louisa Clutterbuck said: “I would like to personally thank everyone involved in collecting and donating the levy; every associate, every assured shoot and game farm, every levy donor of any size. Your support has been extraordinary and completely essential.

“It means that we are able to go on delivering the message of healthy, assured, ethical game for all in new and creative ways, making sure we reach people outside of the countryside bubble. It means we are able to continue investing in growing the game meat market, because we believe every consumer of game is a sure friend of sustainable shooting. It means we can continue our work towards protecting the future of shooting.”

BGA’s end-of-year update on how the levy is invested can be found here and you can donate here.