Sector

25 April 2019

General licences for bird control in Scotland to remain in place

Scottish Natural Heritage has reassured users of their general licences that they remain in place in Scotland.

In light of the recent decision by Natural England to revoke three of their general licences for controlling certain wild birds, Scottish Natural Heritage has said:

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

“Our General Licences cover relatively common situations, such as preventing agricultural damage and protecting public health and safety where there’s unlikely to be any conservation impact.

“They avoid the need for people to apply for individual licences for these specific circumstances”.

Scottish natural Heritage quote

This means that professional pest management companies in Scotland can continue to use the Scottish versions of the general license and we have some assurances that this won’t change in the short term.

Scottish Natural Heritage continued:

“We are aware that this decision by Natural England is linked to a legal challenge.

“The legal system is slightly different here in Scotland, but we are following this case carefully to see if there are any implications for us.

“Taking into account the outcome of the process in England and after consultation with our legal advisors, we will then consider if there may be any changes required to our licences.

“As with any review of our licences, we would seek to ensure an appropriate period of consultation to gather views on any planned changes, allow sufficient time for any adjustments to take place and for users to be made aware”.

Wales and Northern Ireland

At least for now, we do not expect Wales and Northern Ireland to revoke their general licenses.

BPCA has reached out to the equivalent bodies in Wales (Natural Resources Wales) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Environment Agency) for similar assurances on their comparable licenses for bird control.

We’ll continue to share updates as we get them.

Source: Online

Highlights View all news

06 June 2025

Latest news

Results are in: meet your new BPCA Board representatives 2025

Six new Member Directors have been chosen to help lead the Association and represent the interests of BPCA members at the highest level.

Read more

02 May 2025

Latest news

Full steam ahead for entry-Level 3 qualifications on BPCA Qualifications Framework

BPCA has committed to developing new Level 3 pest management qualifications as part of a new industry qualification framework.

Read more

24 March 2025

Latest news

Professional Pest Controller issue 118 (PPC118) out now

PPC118 is out now and packed full of great content.

Read more
Latest View all news

28 July 2025

Latest news

Air gun safety reminder after media reports of pigeon incident

You may have been made aware that the BBC reported an incident where a pigeon was found seriously injured in Glenfield, Leicestershire, having been shot with an air gun.

Read more

25 July 2025

Latest news

Raccoons on watchlist as possible invader

A team of experts representing 42 organisations across the UK and Europe have identified raccoons as being among 20 species most likely to become invasive in Britain over the next decade.

Read more

24 July 2025

Latest news

BPCA shortlisted for Association Excellence Awards 2025

BPCA is delighted to announce that we’ve been shortlisted in two different categories at the Association Excellence Awards (AEA).

Read more