The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Taking a bird’s-eye view of licence laws
General licences issued under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 authorise, among other pest control measures, the control of certain pest bird species including crows, gulls and pigeons.
They are issued for the purposes of the conservation of wild birds, the protection of livestock and crops and the prevention of the spread of disease.
Scottish Natural Heritage issues General Licences in Scotland, and Natural England issues them in England and Wales.
Control activity, so
long as it is carried out in accordance with a General Licence, does not require an application to be made to, or specific permission obtained from, either of the regulatory bodies before it is carried out.
There was controversy in England and Wales at the beginning of April this year when Natural England, with little or no consultation, revoked existing General Licences and introduced new General Licences in their place.
In particular, the General Licence to control wood pigeons which was issued on April 3, without prior warning and which replaced and revoked the previously existing licence, was deemed by industry bodies to be almost impossible to comply with.
The resulting row led to the then Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove to become personally involved, leading to the revocation of the General Licence relating to wood pigeons and two other General Licences also found to be unfit for purpose and the issue of amended General Licences to take into account industry concerns.
Now Scottish Natural Heritage has brought forward a consultation on General Licences in Scotland to make sure that Scottish Licences take into account the implications of the lessons learned as a result of the uproar surrounding the General Licensing system in England and Wales.
The consultation period runs out on September 6, 2019 and all those who rely on General Licences in respect of pest control should take time to read the consultation paper and to respond in order to best protect their interests.
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