Wildlife Welfare

Duck Hunting Welfare and Lead Shot

Duck hunting with lead shot poses welfare risks through injury, non-target mortality, and lead poisoning; transition to non-toxic shot is a welfare priority.

Key Facts

Lead shot is toxic to waterfowl that ingest spent pellets while filter-feeding
Lead poisoning causes neurological symptoms and slow death in affected birds
Wounded birds that escape represent a significant unaccounted welfare cost
England has introduced a voluntary five-year phase-out of lead shot in game shooting
Non-toxic alternatives including steel, bismuth, and tungsten are available

Welfare Considerations

Lead shot causes diffuse, hard-to-quantify suffering in waterfowl populations through poisoning and wounding; transitioning to non-toxic alternatives is both feasible and welfare-positive.

What You Can Do

Use non-toxic shot for all waterfowl shooting
Support mandatory lead shot phase-out in shooting legislation
Advocate for lead poisoning monitoring and treatment programmes at wetland sites