Overview

• Legislation to outlaw shotgun pellets with more than 1% lead and bullets with over 3% lead will be introduced by summer 2026, followed by a three-year phase-out across England, Scotland and Wales.
• Exemptions apply to small-calibre live quarry shooting, airguns, military, police, elite athletes and regulated outdoor ranges lacking suitable non-lead alternatives.
• The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust estimates lead ammunition causes about 100,000 waterbird deaths each year, while the Health and Safety Executive warns of risks to over one million birds and 40,000 raptors.
• Government ministers say the ban could prevent up to 7,000 tonnes of lead from entering fields, forests and wetlands annually.
• Shooting organisations such as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation back the environmental objective but warn that a three-year transition may strain supply and call for a return to a five-year timetable.