Close Menu
Pest MagazinePest Magazine
  • News
    • National Pest Awards
    • BPCA
    • NPTA
    • Companies
    • Local Authority
    • Natural England
    • HSE
    • People
    • Products
    • Best Practice
    • Brexit
    • COVID-19
  • Species
    • Rodents
    • Insects
    • Birds
    • Mammals
  • Magazines
    • June/July 2025
    • April / May 2025
    • Feb / March 2025
    • Dec 2024 / Jan 2025
    • Oct / Nov 2024
    • Aug / Sept 2024
  • Library
    • Inserts
    • Supplements
  • Professional Development
    • BASIS
    • Research
    • Stewardship
    • Training
  • Pest Test
  • Jobs
    • View All Jobs
  • Key Supporters
    • Bábolna Bio
    • Bell Laboratories
    • Pelsis
    • Envu
    • Lodi UK
    • PelGar International
    • Russell IPM
    • Syngenta
X (Twitter) LinkedIn
  • Sign-up for weekly news emails
  • Subscribe to Pest Magazine
  • About Us
    • Technical Advisory Board
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
X (Twitter) LinkedIn
Pest Test Log-In
Pest MagazinePest Magazine
  • News
    • National Pest Awards
    • BPCA
    • NPTA
    • Companies
    • Local Authority
    • Natural England
    • HSE
    • People
    • Products
    • Best Practice
    • Brexit
    • COVID-19
  • Species
    1. Rodents
    2. Insects
    3. Birds
    4. Mammals
    5. View All

    Helping a luxury car showroom eradicate an infestation and steer clear of rodents

    25 March 2024

    Case Study – Freeing a pig farm of a severe rodent infestation in just 10 days

    11 May 2023

    Chinese takeaway issues apology after video of rats and raw chicken emerges

    14 July 2021

    Republic of Ireland rodent callouts jump 35%

    25 June 2021

    13 confirmed sightings of yellow-legged hornets so far in 2025

    13 May 2025

    Red Spider Mites on the hunt for spaces to hibernate

    3 December 2024

    Rentokil encourages vigilance as wasp activity increases ahead of the early autumn nesting period

    25 September 2024

    Rentokil warns of a surge in biting insects as humid weather continues

    3 September 2024

    Worcester City Council increases budget to control gull numbers by £35,000

    26 October 2022

    BPCA urges householders and businesses to seek professional advice if birds are becoming a problem

    3 May 2022

    NatureScot restricts the use of general licences on Lochan Estate in Perthshire

    7 February 2022

    Natural Resources Wales confirms Welsh general licence extension until June 2022

    17 December 2021

    Conservation charity warns of need for joined-up approach and a fast-track to effective grey squirrel controls

    30 May 2025

    Squirrel charity welcomes new legislation on use of gene editing

    14 June 2022

    Ferrets to be removed as permitted target species for the DOC 250 spring trap

    13 April 2021

    Charity says planting of 30,000 hectares of trees must be matched by grey squirrel control

    10 February 2021

    Conservation charity warns of need for joined-up approach and a fast-track to effective grey squirrel controls

    30 May 2025

    13 confirmed sightings of yellow-legged hornets so far in 2025

    13 May 2025

    Red Spider Mites on the hunt for spaces to hibernate

    3 December 2024

    Rentokil encourages vigilance as wasp activity increases ahead of the early autumn nesting period

    25 September 2024
  • Magazines
    1. June/July 2025
    2. April / May 2025
    3. Feb / March 2025
    4. Dec 2024 / Jan 2025
    5. Oct / Nov 2024
    6. Aug / Sept 2024
    Featured

    Pest 99: June/July 2025

    By Simon King10 June 2025
    Recent

    Pest 99: June/July 2025

    10 June 2025

    Pest 98: April / May 2025

    8 April 2025

    Pest 97: February / March 2025

    12 February 2025
  • Library
    • Inserts
    • Supplements
  • Professional Development
    • BASIS
    • Research
    • Stewardship
    • Training
  • Pest Test
  • Jobs
    • View All Jobs
  • Key Supporters
    • Bábolna Bio
    • Bell Laboratories
    • Pelsis
    • Envu
    • Lodi UK
    • PelGar International
    • Russell IPM
    • Syngenta
Pest MagazinePest Magazine
Birds

Update – Defra and Natural England grilled on May 21 about bird licences

Frances McKimBy Frances McKim8 June 2019No Comments5 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Few pest controllers could be unaware that Natural England revoked the three general licences for controlling wild birds (GL 04/05/06) on 25 April. The whole saga has reached such a point that there was a special one-off session for MPs on 21 May.
The whole affair reached a point that the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee held a one-off evidence session on the recent decision to withdraw the general licences for controlling wild birds. The Committee asked Defra Ministers and Natural England (NE) to appear before the Committee to give evidence on 21 May.

Questions foced on the series of events that led to this decision being taken, the handling of the media fallout, the issuing and effectiveness of new general licences and the subsequent action taken by the Secretary of State. A full transcript from the meeting can be read here.

Marian Spain, the Interim Chief Executive of Natural England, was joined at the meeting by Natural England’s chair and deputy chair Tony Juniper and Lord Blencathra. Following the meeting, Marian Spain posted a blog on 21 May updating the situation and reflecting NE’s latest position.

Likewise, on 22 May, Wild Justice also posted a short statement. It seems highly likely this issue has yet some way to run.

Everyone in a flap…
The quantity of column inches devoted to this subject has been exceptional.

However, all credit should go to the regular issuing of updates and lobbying undertaken by the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) on this topic. This included a gathering of evidence on the effects this action had on the industry which culminated in an open letter sent to the Defra Head of State, Michael Gove. Likewise, Pest Control News has posted and sent out numerous updates, as and when they occurred.

At Pest we posted a news story, and our take on the situation, when the cancelling of the General Licences first emerged (25 April). Since then we saw little merit in adding further to the correspondence surrounding this topic. However, readers should be comforted by the fact that if they thought they were being overwhelmed with information, look no further than the pages of the shooting and farming press, for example this story from Farmers Weekly, which have covered the progress of the licensing story, blow by blow, and even christened the saga ‘BirdGate’.

For those unaware of the damage corvids can cause new born lambs, skip the advert and watch this distressing film report.

Behind the scenes…
What Pest has discovered is a whole series of incidents along the way, many less well covered, that we feel readers will be interested to hear about.

First, to recap. This whole saga was instigated by Wild Justice, a not-for-profit company set up on 13 February 2019 by Chris Packham, author and campaigner, Dr Mark Avery, researcher and wildlife campaigner and Dr Ruth Tingay. Their stated objective is to take legal cases on behalf of wildlife against public bodies where they are failing to protect species and/or habitats.

On the very day of their launch (13 February), a Pre Action Protocol letter was sent by Wild Justice to Natural England claiming that the licences GL04, GL05 and GL06 which they had published on 1 January 2019 were unlawful.

13 March. Natural England replied to Wild Justice. Natural England also wrote to the likes of the Countryside Alliance on 15 March explaining the situation and said it was their view that General Licences are a legitimate regulatory tool.

21 March. Wild Justice lodged legal papers with the court seeking permission for judicial review of their decision.

23 April. Natural England announced the revocation of the General Licences GL04, GL05 and GL06 (from 25 April). On their own website, Wild Justice said they did not ask for the revocation of these licences, but had requested that once they expired on 31 December 2019 they would be replaced with a lawful alternative.

What followed was a torrent of indignation that these licences, a vital tool in the armoury for farmers and pest controllers, were being withdrawn with only two days notice. Tempers rose to such a level that a pair of dead crows were left hung outside Chris Packham’s house and death threats posted on social media, accompanied by the launching of an online petition calling for his removal from BBC TV.

23 April coincided with the very first day in the office for Natural England’s newly appointed Chair, Tony Juniper.

1 May. Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, meets Chris Packham in Westminster as this photo posted on Mr Packham’s Facebook page records with the pair brandishing a copy of the People’s Manifesto for Wildlife, which is anti-shooting and hunting.

4 May. Secretary of State, Michael Gove, writes to Tony Juniper advising him that responsibility for the functioning of General Licences is to be transferred, with immediate effect, to Defra .

16 May. Chris Packham receives his CBE medal from the Prince of Wales in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace awarded in the New Year’s Honours for services to nature conservation.

Updated: 22 May 2019

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleMajor changes to bird licensing set to cause chaos for pest professionals
Next Article Bird General Licences saga set to run…
Frances McKim

Read Similar Stories

Killgerm hosts another successful “On the Farm Day” at Hurcott Farm

Killgerm to host seven Breakfast Meetings in the last four months of 2025

Vergo Pest Management is utilising canine teams for rodent searches

Latest Stories

Killgerm hosts another successful “On the Farm Day” at Hurcott Farm

1 July 2025

BPCA joins UK Business and Biodiversity Forum

1 July 2025

First 5<25 initiative candidate completes he RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management training course

30 June 2025
Key Supporters
© 2025 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

  • National Pest Awards
  • OvertheCounter
  • Pet Business World

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.