Natural England is revoking three general licences for
controlling certain wild birds as of Thursday 25 April
2019.
These licences (GL 04/05/06) cover 16 species of birds
including several members of the crow family, Canada goose,
some gulls and pigeons.
The change follows a legal challenge to the way the
licences have been issued, which could mean users who rely
on them are not acting lawfully.
Natural England is working at pace to put in place over the
next few weeks alternative measures to allow lawful control
of these bird species to continue where necessary. In the
meantime, once the licences have been revoked and until new
licences are issued, anyone needing to control one of these
16 bird species where there is no reasonable non-lethal
alternative will need to apply for an individual licence.
The action is the first stage of a planned review of
general and class licences, which will be completed this
year.
Natural England’s interim chief executive Marian Spain
said:
We recognise this change will cause disruption for some
people, but we are working hard to ensure it is kept to a
minimum.
We will bring forward interim measures as quickly as
possible as the first stage of our planned review of the
licences. We want to make sure our licensing system is
robust and proportionate, taking into account the needs
of wildlife and people.
What to do if you use a general licence
It is expected that, over time, many situations currently
covered by the three general licences will be covered by
new licences.
Natural England is undertaking new licensing assessments to
support lethal control of certain birds in defined
situations, such as to prevent serious damage to livestock
from carrion crow and to preserve public health and safety
from the impacts of feral pigeons. It intends to start
issuing these licences on gov.uk from the week commencing
29 April when more details will be available.
If people need to take action in the meantime they will
need to apply for an individual licence, using a simplified
process which will be available on gov.uk from 25 April.
In limited circumstances, people may be allowed to
undertake urgent action in accordance with the existing
requirements of section 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside
Act 1981.
Anyone exercising lethal control of birds after Thursday 25
April 2019 without taking the above steps will not be
covered by a general licence and could be committing an
offence.
If you are unsure what you should do on your
land, visit the Natural England
licensing webpage for more information and advice.
Background on the general licences
General licences were introduced in the 1990s to allow the
legal control of bird species of low conservation concern
to protect public health and safety, prevent serious damage
and disease, and protect plants and wildlife.
Further details of the wider review into the operation and
provision of general licences will be shared shortly. We
will seek feedback from those using them and from wildlife
protection and other groups. We expect to complete this
review by the end of the year.
Part of Natural England’s role is to ensure relevant
provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are
upheld to protect wildlife, as well as recognising the
needs of people.
Background
Currently the three licences subject to the legal challenge
cover 16 bird species, including several members of the
crow family (crows, magpies, rooks, jackdaws and jays),
feral and wood pigeon and number of invasive non-native
species (such as Canada goose).
The specific licences:
- General licence GL04: To kill or take certain species
of wild birds to prevent serious damage or disease
- General licence GL05: To kill or take certain species
of wild birds to preserve public health or public safety
- General licence GL06: To kill or take certain species
of wild birds to conserve wild birds or flora or fauna
