Northern Ireland

The Department of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has renewed its general licences for 2025 with no changes.

General licence to kill or take certain birds TPG1 – Licence TPG1
General licence to kill or take certain birds TPG2 – Licence TPG2
General licence to kill or take certain birds TPG3 – Licence TPG3

Licences TPG 1 and 2 are valid until 31 December 2025 and TPG 3 is valid between 1 March and 31 August inclusive. 

The general licences come with conditions which must be observed prior to use on protected sites such as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs). Advisory material has also been added to the general licences and members should familiarise themselves with the changes prior to using them.

The licences do not apply on a Sunday, and BASC believes that DAERA has missed an important opportunity to assist farmers, gamekeepers and conservationists, in maximising the benefits of the general licences by permitting the control of pest birds on Sunday. BASC has been pushing and will continue to push for this change.

BASC is advising members to contact DAERA directly to apply for an individual species-specific licence, if they find that they cannot work within the parameters of the current licences.

If you have any questions about general licences, please contact the BASC NI office on 028 92 605050 or email nire@basc.org.uk.