A woodpigeon on a fence
A woodpigeon on a fence
  • - Features
  • - Features

Woodpigeon on the quarry list

BASC’s Conor O’Gorman explains the rationale behind proposals to add woodpigeon to the quarry list while retaining the species on the general licences.

Earlier this week, Defra launched a consultation on plans to remove various species from the quarry list and to shorten certain shooting seasons. Our head of wildfowl and wetlands, James Green, covered BASC’s initial response in detail. 

As James pointed out, it is not all one-way traffic.

Defra is proposing that woodpigeon be added to the quarry list in England, Wales and Scotland with an open season from 1 September to 31 January whilst remaining on the general licences for all year-round control.

Let’s be clear. Nothing is changing as regards the general licences in each country. What could change is that for five months of the year we will be able to shoot woodpigeon with legal certainty as per other species on the quarry lists, without any of the overly complicated terms and conditions of the general licence to be concerned about.

This has long been the situation with Canada Goose, which is on the quarry list with an open season and on the various general licences in England, Wales and Scotland.

There is detailed and somewhat complicated explanation on all of this in the consultation documentation and the following extract sums it up.

“The UK, Scottish and Welsh governments all propose the hunting of woodpigeon for recreation and harvest for food should be distinguished in law from control carried out to manage crop damage”.

The case for other species

The consultation invites suggestions for other species to be added to the quarry list. There are many to consider.

Should we seek the likes of carrion crow, jackdaw, rook and magpie to be put on relevant quarry lists whilst retained on the general licences, in the same way as woodpigeon and Canada Goose? The arguments might be different but if it can be legally done for one species why not another?

For too long, quarry management has been framed as purely extractive.

This is an opportunity to show its role as a conservation tool. Non-native species such as mandarin ducks, Egyptian geese, and parakeets should be considered without hesitation. The same applies to species like cormorant.

There is also a case to revisit historic quarry species such as brent geese. If populations are healthy, and any harvest is sustainable, then these options should at least be considered.

As we have seen on social media there are myriad views on all of this, and BASC will be producing guidance imminently to help members respond to the consultation and make their voices heard.

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Conor OGorman

Conor O’Gorman has worked in a variety of conservation, policy and campaigning roles at BASC over the last 20 years. A zoology graduate with a PhD awarded for grey partridge research, he has over 25 years’ experience in conservation and land management.
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