England

No.

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.

No.

Defra’s general licences allow preventative action to be taken so you do not need to wait until damage has occurred.

Yes.

The general licences require that, before and alongside their use, reasonable endeavours are made to achieve the purpose in question using lawful methods not covered by the licences, unless such endeavours would be impractical, without effect or disproportionate in the circumstances.

Defra advises users to keep a record of problems and their use of other lawful methods, but you do not need to submit those records to Defra or Natural England. 

Find out more detailed advice from Defra.

Yes.

Defra’s general licences allow preventative action to be taken and there is no restriction on using decoys, shooting on stubbles, roost shooting etc.

Yes.

Defra’s general licences allow the use of Larsen traps and other cage traps to trap pest birds.

As per the previous general licences that were revoked by Natural England, if you are carrying out bird pest control under a general licence on a SSSI, you also need Natural England consent.

Contact your local Natural England office if you do not have consent or are unsure.

Find out for more information from Defra on bird pest control on SSSIs.

If you have a specific need to control a species not listed on the relevant general licence, you will need to apply for a specific individual licence from Natural England.