WWT statement on the reaction to our lead ammunition campaign video

WWT is the charity for wetlands and wildlife. For the last two decades, we’ve been leading a coalition of partners campaigning for the ban on the sale and use of toxic lead ammunition in Britain, which kills up to 100,000 wildfowl every year.

On Tuesday 11 February, we posted a video on our social media platforms which is a spoof, set in a “toxic lead restaurant”. It features a diner looking at a menu of game meat that has been shot with lead ammunition and highlights the very real dangers this toxic substance poses to both wildlife and humans. This video is just one part of part of our bold, brave multi-decade campaigning strategy to ban lead ammunition for good.

WWT and our partners are incredibly disheartened that some game meat does still include lead ammunition, which carries health risks both for humans and game birds. For waterbirds like swans, ingesting lead ammunition can lead to a painful death, which we’ve seen firsthand in our annual survey work and through the academic studies carried out by UK universities. Sadly, we also continue to see evidence that the voluntary measures and existing legislation haven’t improved things, making our campaigning efforts all the more important for wildlife and people.

The “toxic lead restaurant” video is unashamedly provocative. It was not intended to place blame on individuals or organisations in the game sector, nor to damage the reputation of game meat and game meat providers – many of whom are working towards lead-free game. However, many people don’t realise the impact of lead ammunition, and the primary aim of this video was to bring this issue to a wider audience. We always intended for this video to encourage discussion, and we hope, that discussion will lead to impactful change.

We also recognise that for a few, the video has sparked some strong responses. Issues like shooting game are linked to culture, heritage, income and to broader views on meat eating and countryside access, which can provoke a range of emotions. This can lead to behaviour that detracts from debate on how we navigate difficult issues. At WWT, we acknowledge a wide range of views and are committed to working through them together.

WWT and BASC, as well as various health organisations and businesses within the game sector, are united in working together to reduce the presence of lead ammunition in our environment. Lead has been banned from our pipes and our petrol, so why are we continuing to let it poison our plates? At the Eat Game Awards in March 2024, an event which celebrates the importance of the game sector, our Chief Executive Sarah Fowler was delighted to hear from both BASC staff and the wider game industry, that they are committed to reducing lead in game.

WWT, BASC and the wider game sector have all worked together for many years to achieve this common goal. We often have different approaches to achieving it, but are united by our desire to protect the health and wellbeing of our environment, our wildlife and our people.

We are faced with a once in a lifetime opportunity to ban toxic lead ammunition for good. Of course we’re being bold, and we won’t apologise for that. WWT has and always will be anti-lead ammunition. Not anti-game. Not anti-shooting. Pro wetlands. Pro wildlife.

After decades of poisoning, it’s time to end the era of lead for good.