New wording in the general licences, which allow pest birds such as crows and pigeons to be controlled, will not restrict pigeon shooting or other pest control on shoots or farms.
BASC has issued advice to its 122,000 members that they will be able to continue to control pests - and in the case of woodpigeons enjoy sporting shooting - as they have done under general licences since their introduction in 1990.
The EU Birds Directive protects all birds with two exceptions: “game” shooting, subject to certain conditions such as closed seasons, and pest control under licence where there is no other satisfactory solution. This latter condition has always been implicit in all such licences. The new wording merely makes it explicit in order to show beyond doubt that the general licence complies with European law.
BASC Chief Executive, John Swift, said;
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Those who shoot or use traps to control pests do not themselves have to have tried other methods first. In the unlikely event of an authorised person being challenged by the police he would simply have to state that what he was doing was a contribution to crop protection and cite the extensive literature that demonstrates non-lethal methods to be ineffective and impracticable. He might also add that the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs states in the opening paragraph of the licence “that there is no other satisfactory solution”.
Full article on BASC website
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General Licence Changes - No threat to Shooting
