LICENSED hunting of game has been thrust into the firing line after Somerset's biggest mammal was allegedly shot by poachers.

Western Gazette readers will have read in recent weeks of the demise of the 12-year-old Emperor, the red deer stag on Exmoor National Park that stood nine foot tall, with his impressive antlers. Local land-owners strongly refuted claims they had been paid a bounty in exchange for a right to shoot the magnificent stag.

Norma and Richard Frankpitt would have had too much to lose by doing this as the stag was known to everyone in the Exmoor community, including wildlife presenter Johnny Kingdom, who claims to have tracked him for his entire life.

The Frankpitts have made it crystal clear that all the stalkers allowed to use their land for shooting knew nothing about the incident and are convinced it was poachers. The poachers are alleged to have cut off the head and left the carcass but as yet, no crucial evidence has come to the fore.

Speaking to a national newspaper, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) said that in the space of a year, there had been 349 cases of deer poaching in the Exmoor area and this was double on the previous year.

It also suggests this could have been a recession-fuelled crime combining the trophy of the head and the high returns for venison meat.

BASC spokesman Simon Clarke said: "From the information we have, if this stag has been killed, it's looking more likely this was the work of a poacher rather than a proper stalker or trophy hunter.

"There has been a significant and disturbing rise in poaching in recent years and it's becoming an increasingly organised criminal activity.

"It's motivated by the reward of fast money."

It is worth reminding everyone that putting meat into the food chain from illegal activities such as poaching is a public health risk.

It has been recently revealed £150 million was invested by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in upgrading game processing facilities.

According to industry guidelines, game dealers are strongly recommended to install a purpose-built game larder that incorporates a preparation room and cold store.

A Game Handling Establishment operator has to be confident that someone supplying him or her with game is suitably trained. Seventy seven per cent of gamekeepers have now had formal training in food hygiene compared to 24 per cent six years ago.

The FSA also recommends the supplier provides a certificate with the date and location of where the game was shot and of what type and quantity it was.

In the case of large carcasses such as deer and wild boar, the supplier must declare there is nothing abnormal about the carcass and it has not been contaminated.

So there would be appear to be ways and means for any food outlets that deal with game, to reject any carcasses that have no paperwork with it.

Alexia Robinson, director of the Countryside Alliance's Game To Eat campaign, said: "The game sector can be proud of the food it produces.

"Game meat is low in fat and cholesterol, making it a delicious, healthy alternative to other red meats."

Tragic as the slaughter of this renowned stag has captured the imagination of the public, people have to realise wildlife – however repugnant they might feel about the idea of it – has to be managed and sometimes there is a need for culling. In the case of The Emperor, if he has gone, he would have been poached.

There would have been no need for him to be culled as he was still in his prime.

Non-interventionist policies that leads to over-population and not enough grazing leads to starvation, which is in effect animal cruelty.

If The Emperor has gone, I hope for Exmoor's sake his death will bring a sharp focus on the dangers of poaching and that resources can be put in place to tackle it.