The Wild Mushroom Pickers’ Code 0f Conduct

General Guidelines

Always seek the landowner’s or site manager’s permission before you enter land and explain the purpose of Your visit.

Follow the Country Code.

Try to minimise damage to vegetation, leaf litter, soil and other features.Avoid removing dead wood unless this is necessary to identify a fungus.

Take a reputable field guide with you and try to identify as many fungi as you can in situ.

Ancient woodlands usually contain a rich variety of different types of fungi and may include sorne rare species- Particular care should be taken when collecting from these sites.

Collecting for the pot

Be aware that some fungi are very poisonous and many others may make you unwell.

Some people have allergic reactions after eating certain species.

Make quite sure you can identify fungi by attending a field course or foray led by an expert before you start collecting.

Do not collect species you don’t intend to eat

Respect and protect other species, including poisonous ones.

Do not collect rare or Red List species.

Only collect from plentiful populations and take no more than you want for your personal consumption. In line with codes in most other European countries, we recommend that you pick no more than 1.5 kg per visit or no more than half of the fruit bodies of any single species present, whichever is the lower amount. Larger quantities taken for profit or other use should be agreed beforehand with the landowner or site manager.

Do not collect ‘buttons’ (mushrooms that have not expanded). Giving these buttons time to expand will allow a larger amount of spores to be discharged.