Town & Country
The game is afoot–under licence
A NEW General Licence will be issued for gamebirds released near European Protected Sites in the UK. On October 30, Defra announced that it had concluded its review into releasing gamebirds around or on Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) after legal action against Natural England from the wildlife group Wild Justice began last year.
Defra’s review looked at the number of gamebirds—such as pheasant and red-legged partridges—that were released and their impact on protected sites, the consenting process and whether further safeguards could be provided to protect sites. The review found that the ‘negative effects of gamebird releases on protected sites tend to be localised and that there are minimal or no effects beyond 500 metres from the point of release’. As a result, Defra will create an ‘interim licensing regime’ next year on birds that are released within 500 metres of SPAs and SACs in order to manage potential impacts as the department gathers more information.
‘Our review highlighted a need to gain a better understanding of how any localised impacts might be mitigated and existing arrangements strengthened,’ says Environment Secretary George Eustice. ‘The interim licensing regime... will enable us to manage any potential impacts while gathering more information... We will continue to engage and consult with industry to minimise any disruption.’ As well as the
