“People will still be able to continue to shoot,” the Health and Safety Executive said when it set out proposals for restricting lead. From 1 April 2026 those plans become law across Great Britain, reshaping how ammunition is used and sold from Northumberland’s grouse moors to club ranges around Leeds and Hull. (press.hse.gov.uk)

The REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026 set clear limits: shot containing 1% or more lead and bullets with 3% or more lead are phased out, with a two‑year window for permanent outdoor ranges to put in environmental safeguards and a three‑year transition before full sales and use restrictions bite. That means ranges have until 1 April 2028 to prove protections, and most retail and field use must switch by 1 April 2029. (gov.uk)

Ministers in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff have backed the move under UK REACH, which applies in England, Scotland and Wales but not Northern Ireland. Defra says the curbs aim to stop around 7,000 tonnes of lead entering fields and waterways each year and to reduce deaths of up to 100,000 wildfowl. (basc.org.uk)

For outdoor target shooting, lead bullets can continue at permanent ranges that put in place environmental controls, formally declare those steps to the regulator, and keep their details on a public list maintained by the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency or Natural Resources Wales. Temporary ranges won’t qualify. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

Live quarry rules will feel different in the hills. Large‑calibre bullets of 6.17mm (the .243 and above) containing more than 3% lead are coming out of live quarry use after the three‑year transition. Smaller calibres below 6.17mm stay in scope for quarry shooting, while any large‑calibre lead bullets marketed for target use must carry a plain‑English sticker - “must not be used for live quarry shooting” - on packaging and online. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

Shotgun users face the biggest shift. After the transition, shot containing 1% or more lead will no longer be sold to the public for quarry or target use, and ministers have also moved to stop “indoor use only” cartridges being used to dodge the rules at point of sale. Steel and other alternatives are already available. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

There’s a narrow carve‑out for elite sport. Athletes selected for Olympic‑discipline events can keep using lead shot under notification to the agency, and suppliers must keep records of those sales. Everyone else will have to switch. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

The change has a distinctly Northern footprint. Gamebore and Hull Cartridge manufacture in Hull, and both already offer non‑lead options such as steel and bismuth. But Hull Cartridge warned as far back as 2020 that a rapid shift would be “impossible” without major support and flagged tight global steel supplies and higher costs for small‑gauge shooters. (gamebore.com)

BASC’s Terry Behan welcomed clarity but said the shorter timeline for shotgun cartridges is “not the case for commercial and supply reasons beyond our sector’s control”, urging ministers to mirror the five‑year transition originally advised by HSE. The association says shooting contributes about £2bn to the UK economy and supports 74,000 full‑time jobs. (basc.org.uk)

Conservationists backed ministers. Defra said the package could prevent around 7,000 tonnes of lead entering the environment each year and help protect birds; studies have repeatedly found that voluntary efforts failed to shift practice, with researchers last year reporting most tested game birds still carried lead. (gov.uk)

For clubs and shoots across the North, the next steps are practical. Audit bullet traps and backstops, water‑run‑off and soil management, and get advice early from the Environment Agency, SEPA or Natural Resources Wales if you plan to keep lead in use for outdoor target shooting beyond April 2028. Check packaging and online listings for the new labels as 2029 approaches, and talk to trusted gunsmiths about suitable non‑lead loads for older kit. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

The politics are settled and the timetable is tight. Emma Hardy, the Defra minister who signed off the UK REACH decision in June 2025, framed the plan after nearly 11,000 consultation responses from HSE’s process. Now the clock runs to April 2028 and April 2029 - and the North will feel every milestone. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)