Where an individual needs to undertake activity outside of that authorised by the general licence, then they can apply to Natural England for an individual licence. This individual licence application cannot be completed until the necessary legislative process is passed and comes into force on 31st May 2021. Natural England have Read more…
Additional advice is available for any BASC member, who should initially contact their regional centre for assistance. Alternatively anyone with a query can also contact gamebirds@naturalengland.org.uk which is Natural England’s single point of contact for all gamebird-related queries.
Release outside of these sites is not affected by this new legislation although it is important to note that you must comply with other applicable legal requirements such as completing the poultry register, and caring for the gamebirds in line with welfare legislation and SSSI rules. It is also important that Read more…
The relevant legislation and licence requirement will come into effect on 31st May 2021. The reason the license is only interim is because of lobbying by BASC and others. The primary reason for a licence is because many of the EPSs have not been assessed. The licence covers the government whilst Read more…
The issue of consents is one which owners and occupiers of land where there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) will be familiar with. In practice all European Protected Sites (EPS) also have national designation as well, so are also designated as SSSIs. However, the reverse is not correct i.e. Read more…
The figures for pheasants are based on GWCT’s research and recommendations included in their sustainable gamebird releasing guidelines and referenced in the Code of Good Shooting Practice. Figures for red legged partridges, which are released in different ways to pheasants, mirror this figure along with additional wording based on that in the Code Read more…
On European Protected Sites the release of common pheasants is set at no more than 700 birds per hectare of release pen. Red-legged partridges are set at no more than 700 birds per hectare of land they inhabit. In both cases, if the figure set by any SSSI consent is Read more…
There is advice on the BASC website here which includes an updated mapping tool so you can easily find specific sites and designations. You can also find a map of these sites from a link on the general licence itself.
The general licence contains relevant information such as the legal basis and who can or cannot use it. There are also specific rules and conditions. These include limits on the number of birds which can be released and a reporting function for any release of more than 50 birds along with details Read more…