Articles by Rose Prince - some new, some reprinted
Pheasant
Shooting game birds may seem like an Edwardian anachronism, with pheasant nothing more than a niche meat enjoyed in gentlemen's clubs, but there is, surprisingly, something of a pheasant mountain.
We no longer export much pheasant to Europe and, as a result, wholesale prices at peak season are ridiculously low. The luxury image of pheasant, however, means that oven-ready birds are marked up handsomely in shops, discouraging consumers from buying them.
Anecdotal accounts of commercial shoots burying hundreds of birds are not myths, despite claims made on the Telegraph letters page this week. Participants in shoots report the practice continues. Meat wasted in this manner, however rare, is a real threat to the future of game shooting.
I should declare an interest at this point: my husband co-runs a small, not-for-profit farm shoot and the bag is distributed among guns, beaters and local businesses. There are many responsibly-run shoots, producing quality birds that have been carefully handled and processed, and this is meat to welcome into shops, including supermarkets.
When does the pheasant season begin?
The shooting season begins every year on October 1 and finishes on January 31. Fresh pheasant is still available for about two weeks after that date.
Are game birds wild?
Yes and no. About 10 per cent of the pheasants shot each year derive from the wild population; the rest are birds that have been reared in farms and released into the wild. The same goes for partridge and, to an extent, mallard. Woodcock, snipe, teal, grouse and wigeon are all wild birds.
Is pheasant rearing and shooting cruel?
Compared with the rearing of broiler house chicken, no. An intensively reared chicken may live for 40 days, a pheasant gets a minimum of five months and two-thirds of those reared and released escape being shot.
Many argue that shooting, when accurate, beats the stress of road transport and the abattoir.
How are they reared?
Pheasant chicks ("poults") are confined indoors for about 10 days and gradually given an increasing amount of outdoor access before being released into pens. For 500 birds, this pen is typically 9m x 12m (about 30ft x 40ft).
Mature birds can escape from these pens later, naturalising on farmland and in woodland.
Why are constraints used?
Pheasants are territorially aggressive and gamekeepers sometimes put soft plastic clips on their beaks to prevent them damaging one another. Soft elastic is occasionally used to stop young pheasants using their wings aggressively. The aim, say the keepers, is to rear a healthy wild bird capable of fending for itself. Any constraint is temporary.
Why do some commercial shoots have a bad reputation?
Problems arise when shoots rear too many birds, holding them intensively in pens and releasing them throughout the season to keep bag sizes large. This is wrong, say those who want to protect shooting from the same fate as hunting with dogs. The practice of burying unwanted dead birds is a threat to the industry; respect for the quarry is paramount for shooting's survival.
Is game shooting good for the environment?
Yes. Farmers, who are often involved in shooting themselves, will plant a wider diversity of crops to attract birds, spray less and leave stubble in fields for longer, attracting all sorts of wildlife and protecting endangered birds like the song thrush.
Is pheasant meat drug-free?
Game farmers and keepers administer the drug Avatec to pheasants and partridges to guard against coccidiosis, a disease caused by a parasite. This is not an antibiotic. The sale of the controversial drug Emtryl is banned, but some game farmers stockpiled before the ban and may still be using it.
Good husbandry and low stocking densities are the best guard against disease.
Should I worry about shot?
It will not harm you, but in an effort to widen the market for pheasant, larger processors screen game birds for shot with metal detectors. They argue that better quality birds are the solution to the pheasant meat mountain.
How long do they need to be hung?
About a week, but with climate change it is becoming more necessary for this to be done in a fridge. If you are given birds "on the feather", take them to a butcher who can keep them in a large fridge. Oven-ready game keeps for about five days after plucking and freezes well.
What do pheasants eat?
Mainly corn, grass and grubs.