New woodpigeon licence ‘not fit for purpose’, says BASC

The BASC logo
BASC has said the new general licence issued by Natural England for the control of woodpigeon to prevent serious damage to crops is not fit for purpose.
 
The licence was published at the same time as a new general licence for control of Canada geese ‘to preserve public health and safety’.
 
The licences were issued late on Friday night as replacements for the general licences revoked without consultation by Natural England on April 25.
 
BASC’s experts are examining the detail of the licences but have already expressed serious concerns about the terms and conditions of the woodpigeon document.
 
BASC chairman Peter Glenser QC said: “The rural organisations were unsighted on the woodpigeon general licence dropped on us late on Friday night, contrary to assurances from Natural England earlier in the week that our technical expertise would be used in the drafting of the document.
 
“On initial review of this licence, it is not fit for purpose. It has many of the same deficiencies as the new carrion crow general licence issued last weekend, is over-complicated and confusing.
 
“BASC and the other rural organisations will be pressing for significant changes to be made so that we can have a more effective licence in the short term and we will all expect to feed into any long-term review of these licences.”
 
BASC had delivered a two-page briefing to Natural England earlier in the week which highlighted the importance of woodpigeon control to rural England.

Share

Get the latest updates from BASC

Sign up to our weekly newsletter and get all the latest updates straight to your inbox.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Quick links

Get involved

BASC logo
Facebook Icon-x-twitter Instagram Youtube

© 2024 British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Registered Office: Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham, LL12 0HL – Registered Society No: 28488R. BASC is a trading name of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 311937.

BASC Direct Ltd is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Agria Pet Insurance Ltd who administer the insurance and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Services Register Number 496160. Agria Pet Insurance is registered and incorporated in England and Wales with registered number 04258783. Registered office: First Floor, Blue Leanie, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 7QW. Agria insurance policies are underwritten by Agria Försäkring.

If you have any questions or complaints about your BASC membership insurance cover, please email us. More information about resolving complaints can be found on the FCA website or on the EU ODR platform.