GWCT News Blog

Defra has published updated General Licences for wild bird control in England effective from 1st January 2022 until 31st December 2023.

This week we submitted our response to the Natural Resources Wales (NRW) call for evidence on the future of regulating the shooting and trapping of wild birds. We are hugely grateful to the 307 people who responded and enabled us to provide your perspective and experience in controlling species under licence.

With the season all but over, Mike Swan's mind, as usual, turns to planning for 2021/22. In just a few weeks the pheasants will be setting up their territories, strutting their stuff, and doing everything they can to keep their harems together.

The GWCT are reminding all farmers, land managers and gamekeepers of important changes to licensing arrangements for pest control in England which came into effect on 1st January.

Defra has at last published all the details of the three new general licences for the control of certain bird species effective from 1st January 2021, plus its “standard licence conditions for trapping wild birds” under these licences.

The GWCT has produced a survey to capture the detail of General Licences in Wales. As with the previous consultation, we will collate and anonymise the information before putting it into a report. The closing date for our survey is 10th January.

Over the next few weeks Defra will be consulting with stakeholders about their plans for licensing gamebird releasing on or near protected sites in 2021. 

Defra has published the first details of three new general licences for the control of certain bird species effective from 1st January 2021. 

It would appear the legal team at Defra are the real winners – they have avoided costly legal action and significant disruption to those providing the habitat that game management delivers.