Perhaps this spring more than ever, there is a need for gamekeepers, land managers and farmers to be kept fully briefed on how laws on predator management have changed.
1 April 2020 heralded a new General Licence system for the control of some pest bird species, as well as all change for the type of trap that must now be used for stoat control.
For many farmers and full-time gamekeepers, the spectre of coronavirus has not interrupted daily work excepting for the earlier ban on muirburn. However, for all of us managing game and wildlife, 2020 is a year when best practice training on predator control within the new legislative framework is critically important.
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust Advisory team in Scotland has developed a new online course on corvid control to substitute the Trust’s popular face-to-face courses planned across Scotland this spring.
The GWCT’s senior advisor in Scotland, Hugo Straker, says: “We are delighted to present this new initiative to game and wildlife managers across Scotland, as it will help ensure that they practice humane corvid control in the confidence that they are operating within the new laws whilst demonstrating due diligence to high welfare standards”.
The two-hour course costs £72 inc. VAT and consists of informative video presentations and slides, provides easy-to-read guides and concludes with a short multiple-choice assessment. Successful candidates will be awarded a GWCT Certificate of Accreditation, which should help demonstrate good due diligence in today’s era of vicarious liability.
To enrol on the course, please visit www.gwctlearning.com/courses/
Notes to editors
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is an independent wildlife conservation charity which carries out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.
For information, contact:
Playfair Walker
Telephone: 0131 445 5570
Email: richard@playfairwalker.com