Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has announced a consultation on the general licences for wild bird management, in response to an ongoing legal challenge in England.

For the next 12 weeks, SNH will be taking feedback on the use of three specific licences in Scotland: those covering conserving wild birds, preventing damage to agricultural interests, and protecting public health and safety.

General licences in Scotland allow birds to be controlled under certain circumstances and when there’s unlikely to be any conservation impact on a species.

They avoid the need for people to apply for individual licences, and SNH wants to ensure that their licences take into account the implications of the legal challenges in England.

Robbie Kernahan, SNH’s Head of Wildlife Management, said:

“General licences must strike the appropriate balance between species conservation and a range of other legitimate interests.

“Our role is to help wild birds thrive, but we must balance this with making sure the public is safe from health and safety risks, as well as ensuring that farmers can protect their crops.”

Robbie added:

“We would like to reassure those who are currently operating under the current 2019 General licences in Scotland that these remain in place, allowing those who comply with the conditions to continue to use them.”

You can access the consultation here:
smartsurvey.co.uk/s/2019GL/

For any queries on General licences, members can get in touch with our Technical team.

BPCA will be providing a response to the consultation on behalf of our members working in Scotland.

Source: SNH press release