A NEW Code of Good Shooting Practice covers the conduct of guns, land management and delivery of wider conservation benefits, as well as healthy food.

Sue Harrison, the Country Land and Business Association's North-West deputy regional director, said: "For the first time, guns and shoot managers on some of Northern Britain's finest upland landscapes will be covered by stringent requirements on the conduct of their sport.

"We have worked hard with other leading organisations to produce a clear and effective code and it's now up to everyone involved in our sport to make it work."

Management of heather moorland for shooting can significantly increase wildlife numbers, particularly for waders like snipe and golden plover. In the lowlands, also covered by the new code, management produces benefits for biodiversity.

Shoots which add to native game stocks must have a whole shoot plan to cover the conservation of the game.

Guns are expected to ensure their skills are up to the job and that their sport is undertaken in a responsible and safe manner with due regard to the impact of shooting on their neighbours.

The code lists five golden rules:

* the safe conduct of shooting must show respect for the countryside and consideration for others;

* shoot managers must endeavour to deliver enhancement of wildlife conservation, habitat and the countryside;

* reared gamebirds should be released before the start of their shooting seasons;

* respect for quarry is paramount; it is fundamental to mark and retrieve all birds - shot game is food and must be treated as such;

* game management and shooting must at all times be conducted within the law and the principles of this code.

The code is sponsored by the CLA, Shooting Times, British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Countryside Alliance, National Gamekeepers' Organisation, Game Farmers' Association, Scottish Landowners' Federation and the Game Conservancy Trust.