Welsh general licences for pest birds published - no changes in law until 1 July 2010

11 January 2010

What are general licences?

General licences are issued by government agencies to provide a legal basis for people to carry out a range of activities relating to wildlife.  By definition you do not need to apply for general licences but you are required by law to abide by their terms and conditions.  General licences are renewed annually in Wales by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). They are made available on the WAG website and include those general licences relevant to the control of ‘pest birds’.

The Welsh Assembly Government has published its 2010 general licences, including those for pest birds.  There are no changes in law. However, an announcement is expected this Spring on what changes may take effect from 1 July 2010 onwards.  The sections below discuss the changes that were proposed in a consultation that ended in November.

Click here for the Welsh general licences valid until 30 June 2010
Click here for more indepth information on general licences

Consultation on changes to Welsh general licences

Consultation by: Welsh Assembly Government
Consultation period: 1 September – 24 November
  BASC response to consultation on Welsh general licences

Proposal to add Canada geese

BASC believes that there is no justification to add Canada geese to the general licences in Wales. BTO Bird Atlas Maps and BTO Wetland Bird Survey results show that the Canada goose population is limited in number and distribution compared to England. There have been only 25 applications for specific Welsh licences in the last 2 years to
prevent serious damage to agricultural crops. They are a valued quarry species of
goose on Welsh estuaries. This issue was of specific concern to experts on BASC’s
Wildfowling Advisory Committee and BASC’s Welsh Committee.

Proposal for a police administered i.d. tagging system for cage traps

BASC believes that there is no justification for a system whereby every user of a cage trap, such as a Larsen trap or multi-catch corvid trap, would have to obtain a unique identification code provided by a Welsh Wildlife Crime Officer, and be required to place that code on every trap being used. BASC is unaware of any enforcement issues pertaining to cage traps that would necessitate that they be uniquely marked in this way.  This move would introduce a huge and unnecessary administrative burden on the thousands of Welsh cage trap operators and the two Wildlife Crime Officers for Wales that would have to process such a system.

Proposal to remove herring gulls, lesser and great black-backed gulls

BASC has concerns relating to these proposals. Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls can cause site-specific problems for vulnerable local populations of ground nesting birds whilst Herring gulls and Lesser Black-backed gulls can cause public health and safety issues.  Removal of these species will mean that people currently relying on general licences to prevent or tackle problems occurring would have to apply for a specific licence instead.

Proposal for cage traps and semi-automatic weapons

BASC welcomes a proposal to reduce the complexity of the general licences in relation to the use of a cage trap or a ‘semi-automatic weapon’. This will be achieved by including these control methods on the agricultural, public health and public safety, air safety and conserving wild birds general licences. Note that the meaning of ‘semi-automatic weapon’ in the context of Welsh general licences means any weapon which is not prohibited by section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 (as amended) and which has a magazine capable of holding more than two rounds of ammunition, where the depression of the trigger ejects a single shot, each subsequent shot requiring a further depression of the trigger.

Proposal for ruddy duck

BASC agrees with a proposed new general licence to allow the control of ruddy duck. However, BASC does not agree with the condition in that general licence that users would have to provide a written report of their activities. BASC does not support the
implementation of reporting requirements for general licences. If reporting is needed,
this should be by the current system of issuing specific licences on application.

Permitting sales of dead barnacle and white-fronted geese

In addressing an error on a draft general licence allowing sales of a list of dead birds BASC requested that Barnacle Goose and White-fronted Goose (Greenland race) should
continue to be excluded from the list.  To ensure that no incentives are provided for killing birds for subsequent sale between countries, BASC advises that all general licences in existence in the UK that allow the sales of dead birds continue to exclude these two goose species.

When happens next?

An announcement is expected this Spring on what changes may take effect from 1 July 2010 onwards. The current general licences expire on 30 June 2010.

 

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