Life will be harder for farmers after magpies removed from Welsh general licence, says BASC
Magpies will be removed from the general licence in Wales from 1 January 2024.
Get information on the legal shooting season for mammals and birds in the UK.
Learn about our current conservation projects and how you can get involved.
Comprehensive information and advice from our specialist firearms team.
Everything you need to know about shotgun, rifle and airgun ammunition.
Find our up-to-date information, advice and links to government resources.
Everything you need to know on firearms law and licensing.
All the latest news and advice on general licences and how they affect you.
BASC will once more stand up for lawful pest control activities as anti-shooting group, Wild Justice, launch new legal attack.
According to Wild Justice, they are seeking legal action against the general licence to prevent serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, fisheries or inland waters in England – otherwise known as GL42.
Specifically, they are arguing against wording introduced by Defra to clarify the term ‘kept’ in relation to gamebirds when livestock, which is now included within the recently issued licence.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the law which governs the issuing of general licences, already defines livestock to include any animal which is ‘kept’ for the provision and or improvement of shooting.
Caroline Bedell, BASC executive director of conservation, said: “This is nothing more than part of Wild Justice’s long-term strategy of attacking game shooting. The approach taken by Defra to define what ‘kept’ means is not new. For example, the comparable Welsh general licence uses a similar definition, this should be well known to Wild Justice who recently lost a legal challenge against Natural Resources Wales, where the Judge deemed that the general licences issued there were lawful.
“There has been no change in the law and the use of GL42 to prevent serious damage is of vital importance to wide and diverse range of individuals and situations. BASC will do everything it takes to ensure that this remains the case.”
Magpies will be removed from the general licence in Wales from 1 January 2024.
Shoot owners who manage grassland habitats can apply for annual funding of up to £646 per hectare from Defra.
A debate held in Parliament yesterday on the shooting season for woodcock saw MPs push back on claims made under a petition instigated by Wild Justice.
Sign up to our weekly newsletter and get all the latest updates straight to your inbox.
© 2024 British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Registered Office: Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham, LL12 0HL – Registered Society No: 28488R. BASC is a trading name of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 311937.
If you have any questions or complaints about your BASC membership insurance cover, please email us. More information about resolving complaints can be found on the FCA website or on the EU ODR platform.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!
More information about our Cookie Policy