UPDATE: Three New General Licences Issued

The issuing of the new licenses have been hailed as a significant milestone in ensuring that landowners can manage certain wild bird species effectively. However, although the new general licences are applicable in most instances, they cannot be used in protected sites.

What are the new licenses?

The new licenses are as follows, and allow users to control certain species of wild birds in order to:

Conserve wild birds and flora or fauna - WML GL34. Species covered: Carrion Crow, jackdaw, jay, magpie, rook, Canada goose, Egyptian goose, monk parakeet, ring-necked parakeet, sacred ibis and Indian house-crow

Preserve public health or public safety - WML GL35. Species covered: Carrion crow, jackdaw, magpie, feral pigeon, rook, Canada goose and monk parakeet

Prevent serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, fisheries or inland waters - WML GL36. Species covered: Carrion crow, jackdaw, magpie, feral pigeon, rook, woodpigeon, Canada goose, Egyptian goose, monk parakeet and ring-necked parakeet

Although most pest species are covered in the three licences; collared doves and gulls are not.

The decision was largely influenced by DEFRA's recent call for evidence of how Natural England's revocation of three general licences; GL04, 05 and 06; affects the management of wild birds.

Key reactions

Michael Gove MP, Environment Secretary said: “I recognise the scale of interest and concern that was generated by Natural England’s decision to revoke three general licences and I am grateful to those thousands of individuals and groups who shared their experiences in responding to the call for evidence."

“The three new general licences announced today seek to minimise some of the negative impacts that the withdrawal of the previous licences had. But this is a temporary way forward and does not cover European protected sites, where the law is more complicated and we continue to engage with stakeholders.

“We will shortly set out details of a wider review of general licences, to provide a long term licensing solution which balances the needs of users and wildlife.”

BASC chief executive Ian Bell said: “The organisations have worked extensively in the background with Defra and we are content that the new, additional general licences issued today will be fit for purpose in many areas but significant concerns remain around protected sites."

Liam Bell, NGO chairman, said: “Two cheers to Defra for sorting out most of the mess left after NE’s licence revocations in April. We reserve our third cheer until they have also addressed the remaining issues in protected sites. The team-working between the shooting organisations has been great on this and a big reason for the turnarounds gained so far. We look forward to playing our part in finishing the job.”

Protected Sites

So, are we completely out of the woods yet? Nearly. The new licences do not cover European Protected Sites, or areas within 300 metres of these sites (SSSIs fall into this category). Landowners in these areas are required to apply for consent from Natural England via. the old system. This decision is likely to be addressed in another consultation, which is set to take place this summer. 

As you can see from the map below, these protected sites, which are coloured purple, cover large swathes of the UK. Clicking on the image below will direct you to an interactive map from the European Environment Agency website:

What happens now?

The new licences will be valid until 29 February 2020. In the meantime, DEFRA will lead a review of the longer-term general licensing arrangements. The Countryside Alliance intends to launch an initial public consultation by the end of the summer. Defra will work closely on this review with Natural England, who have already indicated the need to examine a wider range of general and class licences.

What have we learned?

Our way of life is under greater scrutiny than ever before, and it is paramount the we as a community ensure that we continue to be excellent ambassadors for shooting. 

The general licence debacle has reminded us that we cannot take our stewardship of the countryside for granted. Although not compulsory, we urge those those who are undertaking control of the pest species to keep accurate records of your actions, in case you are asked to provide evidence that you are abiding by the terms and conditions of the general licence.