BASC answers NRW’s call for evidence on wild bird licensing

BASC has submitted a detailed 16-page response in answer to a call for evidence made by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) as part of a review of how it regulates the shooting and trapping of wild birds.

Evidence submitted will be used in the review which will shape NRW’s future decisions including those on general licences and its approach to regulating the shooting or capture of wild birds on SSSIs.

The call for evidence, which has now closed, ran for eight weeks and requested a range of evidence including both scientific and anecdotal evidence on the control of ‘pest birds’.

Steve Griffiths, BASC Wales director, thanked people for answering the call.

He said: “This evidence gathering was vital to allow NRW to feed into future decisions. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit responses.”

Earlier this month, BASC welcomed the decision of the High Court to dismiss attempts by Wild Justice to limit pest control in Wales as a victory for the countryside.

In a judgement released following a protracted legal battle, Judge Jarman QC rejected all three of Wild Justice’s claims that the legal process of controlling pest birds, general licences, were not lawful. In his judgment he described the current approach as ‘rational’.

BASC spent in excess of £140,000 from its newly-launched ‘Fighting Fund’ to give shooting a voice in the legal challenge and to help Natural Resources Wales defend the case. BASC fought to be recognised by the court as ‘interested parties’.

British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) response to Natural Resource Wales (NRW) Wild Bird Review Call for Evidence.