Following the introduction of the Code of Practice for the welfare of gamebirds reared for sporting purposes in 2011, the Scottish Government arranged for AHVLA staff to carry out a series of visits to 31 units rearing gamebirds in Scotland in 2013 to assess compliance with the Code of Practice and advise on other relevant legislation.

A report summarising the findings at these visits found no non-compliance with welfare legislation. However, some areas for improvement including better record keeping for mortalities and medicine use were suggested.

The report has been discussed with representatives of interested organisations including the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Scottish Land and Estates and the Scottish Association for Country Sports.