Natural Resources Wales confirm that current Welsh general licences for the control of wild birds will be unchanged until 30 June 2022. 

Four general licences for bird control in Wales were due to expire on 31 December 2021.

In November NRW announced that these would be extended for a short period into 2022, however there were no details at that point regarding the length of the extension. 

It has now been confirmed that the licences will be valid until 30 June 2022. 

Regarding the unchanged licences, an NRW spokesperson said:

"We recognise the need for certainty for general licence users and the need for a period of time to enable a lead in before any changes are made.

"As a result we can now confirm that we will be reissuing GL001, GL002, GL004 and GL005 unchanged to run from the 1 January to the 30 June 2022. These licences will be available from our website shortly.

"We are then aiming to publish the outcome of our review, including any changes to general licences, at least two months before the reissued general licences expire.

"Please note that this does not apply to the renewal of our other general licences which will be renewed for 12 months as normal. Likewise applications for specific licences to control wild birds should continue to be made as normal."

You can find out more about Welsh general licences for bird control on the NRW website. 

Further reading:

Changes to bird control licences in Wales: bpca.org.uk/News/changes-to-bird-control-general-licences-in-wales/236526

Wild Justice hearing given go-ahead over Welsh general licences: bpca.org.uk/News-and-Blog/wild-justice-hearing-go-ahead-over-welsh-general-licences

Natural Resources Wales General Licences: naturalresources.wales/permits-and-permissions/species-licensing/uk-protected-species-licensing/general-licences-for-birds-2020/?lang=en

A birds-eye view of general licences: bpca.org.uk/News/bpca-get-a-birds-eye-view-of-general-licences/234235

Licences for pest bird control: where are we now? bpca.org.uk/News/licences-for-pest-bird-control-where-are-we-now-/266015

Wild Justice: Our latest legal challenge: wildjustice.org.uk/general/test-3/

Wild Justice: Further success on general licences: wildjustice.org.uk/general/further-success-on-general-licences-this-time-in-wales/

Source: Online