EXCLUSIVE - Sir Alec Shelbrooke: "It is the sense of community that softens the stresses and strains of rural life"

Wetherby and Easingwold MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke writes on how the shooting industry plays an important role to the economy and rural way of life, the countryside's backlash to the proposed shotgun licence merger, and why the Government risks breaking the very spirit that's sustained farming communities for generations

Sir Alec Shelbrooke

13 February 2026 • 3 min read

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Sir Alec Shelbrooke said: "Setting aside the literal death knell summoned by the family farm tax, the latest assault on traditions, such as trail hunting, and now threats to make it harder to get a shotgun licence could make the quiet determination to simply carry on much more difficult. Before the final horn blows on the last drive of the 2026/27 season, ministers should take stock and abandon their proposals."

The rural way of life is under attack. The forces driving change in our communities are varied. LISTEN NOW: Farming families face higher fixed costs and volatile profit margins in competition...

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