General Licences - Scotland

General licences in Scotland are currently issued by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). You don’t need to apply to use a general licence, but you are required by law to abide by their terms and conditions.

If you control pest species under general licences in Scotland, you need to be aware that the current licences issued by SNH will expire on 31 March 2020. This covers the following licences:

• GL 01/2020: To kill or take certain birds for the conservation of wild birds.
• GL 02/2020: To kill or take certain birds for the prevention of serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables and fruit.
• GL 03/2020: To kill or take certain birds for the preservation of public health, public safety and preventing the spread of disease

What is BASC doing?

BASC work closely with SNH to ensure current and future licences are fit for purpose. We regularly meet with representatives from SNH and the Scottish Government to make the views of the BASC membership known.

What you need to know

Scotland’s new general licences will come into effect on 1 April 2020 following an extended review period by SNH.

The new general licences will see some changes with respect to target species (see table below).

There will also be a requirement to seek approval from SNH to use general licences over certain special protected areas and special areas of conservation.

Other key changes include the requirement for individuals using traps to register with SNH by 1 April 2020. The online registration portal will be live on the SNH website from mid-February 2020. There will no longer be a requirement to register landholdings or farms using traps with Police Scotland from 1 April 2020 onwards.

For further information on Scottish general licences, please call: 01350 723 226