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 England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  These general licences are made available on the websites of the relevant government agencies and include those general licences relevant to the all year round control of ‘pest birds’ such as magpie and woodpigeon.  Control methods allowed under general licence may include shooting, the destruction of eggs and nests,  and the use of larsen traps and multi-catch traps.

Pest birds checklist

In the table below, ‘Y’ (for Yes) means that it may be possible to kill birds of this species for the main purposes allowed under general licence, ie. conserving wild birds, preventing damage and disease or preserving public health and public safety. This is a broad overview and as such BASC advises you to make sure that your purpose and your method of control is supported by the relevant general licence listing that species. You will find further information for your country in the sections below the table.

Species	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland
Canada Goose	Y	N	N	N
Carrion Crow	Y	Y	Y	Y
Collared Dove	Y	Y	Y	N
Egyptian Goose	Y	N	N	N
Feral Pigeon	Y	Y	Y	Y
Great Black-backed Gull	N	Y	Y	Y
Herring Gull	N	Y	Y	Y
House Sparrow	N	N	Y	Y
Jackdaw	Y	Y	Y	Y
Jay	Y	Y	Y	N
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Y	Y	Y	Y
Magpie	Y	Y	Y	Y
Monk Parakeet	Y	N	N	N
Ring-necked Parakeet	Y	N	N	N
Rook	Y	Y	Y	Y
Ruddy Duck	Y	N	N	N
Starling	N	N	Y	Y
Woodpigeon	Y	Y	Y	Y

 

General licences in England

Click here for the English general licences vaild from 1 January 2010

From 1 January 2010 there have been several key changes. 

Egyptian geese, Ring-necked parakeet and Monk parakeet can be killed and/or trapped under general licence for the first time. The general licence to conserve wild birds has been renamed 'to conserve flora and fauna' and Canada geese have been included on it.

Great black-backed gulls have been removed from all the main general licences.  Herring gulls remain on the general licence for preserving public health and public safety, but only to to destroy their nests and eggs.  Following BASC discussions with Natural England a specific application form has been made available to control gulls for the purpose of conservation.  Click here to download the form

A proposed ban on sales of woodpigeon in 2010 has been reversed after BASC alerted Natural England to an error in the wording on the draft general licences. 

Users of cage traps should note that there are changes in wording in the explanatory notes with regard to the welfare of decoy birds under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

General licences in Scotland

Click here for the Scottish general licences valid from 1 January 2010

Note that in Scotland it is a requirement to have read the terms and conditions of the general licence relevant to your activity.

General licences in Wales

Click here for the Welsh general licences vaild until 30 June 2010

There are no changes to the 2010 general licences.  However, an announcement is expected this Spring on what changes may take effect from 1 July 2010 onwards.

Important note for Welsh woodpigeon shooters
Following BASC’s intervention the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has renewed a key general licence that makes it legal to shoot woodpigeons to protect crops, as well as for a number of other pest bird species and purposes. Until this general licence appears on the WAG website download a copy from link below.

  Welsh general licence to shoot woodpigeon to protect crops

General licences in Northern Ireland

Click here for the Northern Irish general licences valid until 10 September 2010

Renewals of all general licences are due on 11 September 2010. Once details are available later this year BASC will make an announcement.

Pest and Predator Control 

More general information is available from the BASC website on the control of avian and mammalian pests and predators, including relevant BASC codes of practice. 

Click here for information on Pest and Predator Control