General licences
All the latest news and advice concerning general licences and how they affect you.
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 (such as Defra in England). They include licences relevant to all year round control of ‘pest birds’ such as carrion and hooded crows, magpies and woodpigeon.
Control methods allowed under general licence may include shooting, the destruction of eggs and nests, and the use of cage traps such as Larsen traps, Larsen mates and multi-catch traps.
Where there is a need to manage or control wildlife and such activity is not covered by a relevant general licence then an individual or specific licence may be applied for. These are issued by the relevant government agency in each country.
The latest news from BASC
The general licences explained
BASC’s Glynn Evans discusses the subject of general licences, answering common questions around their use.
BASC given permission to bring judicial review of Defra decision
BASC has been granted permission by the High Court to bring a judicial review of Defra’s decision to withdraw GL43, the general licence that allowed gamebird release in certain areas of England.
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.
