Better weather and falling commodity prices helped reduce costs for shoots throughout the UK according to the Savills incorporating Smiths Gore Shoot Benchmarking Survey, published today in association with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).

The survey results, which relate to the 2014/15 season and incorporates information from shoots across the UK, shows that a 16% reduction in feed costs per bird put down, due to lower grain and pulse prices, helped reduce overall costs by 6%. This was despite an increase in beaters' and picker uppers' pay.

The shoots managed to reduce both their fixed costs, by 2% to £5.24 per bird put down, and their variable costs, by 7% to £7.97. Bird costs are the largest variable cost and, although poult costs tend to increase each year, shoots have controlled costs by hatching their own and rearing day olds. Feeds costs are the second biggest variable cost and fell by 16%. Picker and beater up costs have been fairly stable over the last five years but they are lumpy as, when shoots change them, they usually increase them by £5 per day. They increased by 12% to £1.07 per bird put down.

Income was also boosted as a better rearing season led to a higher percentage of released birds being shot. During each of the past five years, the average shoot has only broken even twice and a significant proportion of shoots failed to do so - 36% in the 2014/2015 season.

David Steel of Savills comments, "The figures clearly show that shoot performance depends upon the quality of shoot business management, particularly cost control and matching costs to charges, combined with high quality game keeping to deliver high return rates. For the average shoot, a small change in return rates, costs or charges per bird, can have a significant effect on profitability. A 5% reduction in costs can cause a 75% improvement in profitability."

Three quarters of the shoots take place over land that is in a paid agri-environment habitat improvement scheme and almost all voluntarily feed birds after the end of the season, showing the strong link between shooting and conservation.

The Shoot Benchmarking Survey is now in its fifth year. 110 shoots contributed to the survey for the 2014/2015 season, employing over 150 staff and turning over more than £6.2m per annum.

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