Anna Hare recognised with BASC Special Award
The award recognises Anna’s outstanding contribution to outdoor education and pivotal role in the success of Let’s Learn Moor.
Natural England general licences survey: BASC guidance
Natural England is running a survey for users of some of the general licences for wild bird control, and it closes at 5pm on 1 February 2027. Your real-world experience will help inform the review.
The survey focuses on three general licences in England:
About the survey
The survey is being run by an independent research company called ICF, with a summary report expected to be published in 2028. There is an option to provide your email address at the end of the survey if you wish to be considered for a follow-up interview in 2027.
The tick-box-style questions include which bird species you control and when, the methods used and the reasons for doing so. There are also questions on the use of general licences in and around designated areas, whether you record your activities and whether the general licences are clear and easy to understand. It will take around 15-20 minutes to complete the survey.
Many of the questions are optional and the results will be anonymised, so please only answer the questions relevant to you and that you are comfortable answering.
Natural England has stated that the survey is to “improve understanding of how the general licences are used in practice across England” and to help ensure “that licences remain effective, proportionate, practical and evidence-based”.
Our view on the general licences
BASC continues to call for the general licences for wild bird control to be simplified because people need clear terms and conditions to follow.
We do not support mandatory reporting as a blanket condition for general licences because that would create additional administrative burdens without necessarily producing reliable or meaningful data.
If you have any questions about our position or how to complete the survey, please email Dr Conor O’Gorman, our head of policy and campaigns, at conor.ogorman@basc.org.uk.
Complete the survey
Share
Hold fire on general licences survey
Conor O’Gorman advises people to wait until BASC publishes guidance before responding to a survey on general licences for pest bird control in England.
Five minutes with Schöffel Countryside Awards finalist Jim Allsop
Jim Allsop has spent a decade turning Monkwood, a 270-acre site near Chesterfield, into a haven for wildlife.