From Wildlife and Countryside Link

Evidence of the harms caused by lead ammunition continues to grow – high mortality amongst waterbirds, weakened immunity for other species, cognitive impairment for children; all can be traced back to lead entering the food chain from the use of lead shot. With a five-year voluntary phase out from the shooting industry failing so far to reduce the amount of lead shot in use, the Government has announced consideration of an outright ban through the new UK REACH process. It feels like an important and welcome moment – one of the first major pieces of work undertaken in the post Brexit chemical regulation system will be to consider action on a chemical that harms the environment. The drawback is the timescale, Natural England & HSE have been given two years. With lead poisoning killing an estimated 75,000 waterbirds every year, can this wait be justified? Link members are exploring ways to accelerate this timeframe.