Packham gets General License revoked!!!!

[Steve Valentine]

A change to the General License has been needed for some time in my opinion. People have used it as an excuse to shoot wildlife when there is no real problem at a location. Hopefully the new license will be more area / problem specific; a corvid in your garden isn't a problem, but there are those who will shoot it under the General license, believing they can as it appears on the list. The revocation of the license doesn't mean that this method of control has ceased, a provision has been made for those with a need to control a pest species, can still apply for an interim "individual license" to do so from 25th April at gov.uk.
The important thing is to make everyone aware that this license is being revoked. Perhaps admin will make this thread a sticky and email or PM its members of this important change so all its members are informed of it.

Excellent well put post. Far too many people are blatting away at birds for no other reason than ‘just because I can’ and claiming they’re doing it under general licence.

Shooting pigeons and crows in your garden isn’t protecting farmers crops and preventing spread of disease.

Obviously there’s a need for farmers and country folk to control numbers for reasons listed under the general license but every Tom dick and Harry have been using it as an excuse to shoot birds unnecessarily.

Those who legitimately shoot known pest birds can still continue to do so by applying for an individual license.

[Rocket launcher]

I hope the individual licences are simplified have a look at download able form ao8..
If that's what we are ment to use it will keep the government tied up for years doing the first 10000.
And if you have to do individual licence you may as well put in for all the sections including egg collection....

[ZAKDINGEL]

I hope the individual licences are simplified have a look at download able form ao8..
If that's what we are ment to use it will keep the government tied up for years doing the first 10000.
And if you have to do individual licence you may as well put in for all the sections including egg collection....

I bet it gets scrapped and they have a updated version of the general licence yes its was a little outdated packem needs a right big kick off a large --very large cliff

[bighit]

I hope the individual licences are simplified have a look at download able form ao8..
If that's what we are ment to use it will keep the government tied up for years doing the first 10000.
And if you have to do individual licence you may as well put in for all the sections including egg collection....

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...alth-or-safety

[Steve Valentine]

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...alth-or-safety

Jesus. I didn’t realise it was that complicated and involved!

[MrGreengrass]

Does that mean I have to fill in all that crap just to shoot wood pigeons on farms..??

[bullbarrel]

Does that mean I have to fill in all that crap just to shoot wood pigeons on farms..??

No, it means you have to fill in all that crap to shoot wood pigeons on each farm.

[Mason]

I hope the individual licences are simplified have a look at download able form ao8..
If that's what we are ment to use it will keep the government tied up for years doing the first 10000.
And if you have to do individual licence you may as well put in for all the sections including egg collection....

There will certainly be many applications made by those who do not need such a license and it may indeed swamp the system of license issue. This inevitably will cause delay to those genuine applications where control is necessary. The original poster, bullbarrel, this forum's system administrator, who signed off his post with "Time for all of us to apply for a license and let them see how workable their new procedure is?" should moderate his own post accordingly with this in mind. If your need for an interim individual license isn't genuine, don't apply. The general license has run its course in this area for pest control and has been a very effective strategy, but now it needs refining from a blanket measure, so it can focus on locations that are still a problem and leave well alone those areas that are not. Bear in mind its primary function as a pest species control; it is not a fun time recreational license for personal entertainment.

[bighit]

Jesus. I didn’t realise it was that complicated and involved!

Posting a link ?

They do say that they are looking into changing the process though



Yeah. looks like a nightmare.

Also mason is correct . people just filling it in to make this a nightmare for the people in the offices is foolish and could stop genuine people as they wait possibly months for the license to get approved.

[Geezer]

Excellent well put post. Far too many people are blatting away at birds for no other reason than ‘just because I can’ and claiming they’re doing it under general licence.

Shooting pigeons and crows in your garden isn’t protecting farmers crops and preventing spread of disease.

Obviously there’s a need for farmers and country folk to control numbers for reasons listed under the general license but every Tom dick and Harry have been using it as an excuse to shoot birds unnecessarily.

Those who legitimately shoot known pest birds can still continue to do so by applying for an individual license.

I agree.

Mostly.

When I grew up in the middle of nowhere, and before the open licence got tightened, the farmer who lived a few doors down from us and owned the hundreds of acres of farmland at the back of our garden was very happy for us to shoot corvids or pigeons or whatever that otherwise would have eaten his crops.

I think the key point here is the speed of this change. A lot of those who currently shoot under the open licence are not actively on forums, are not on shooting sites on FB, do not follow BASC on twitter, etc. For example, guys living in static caravans, without regular internet access.

So the imperative is rather than complaining on here (which is merited and fine) to get this news out by whatever means so that as many shooters as possible do not inadvertently break the law.

[bullbarrel]

So do you think we need a license to shoot rabbits and squirrels? What about deploying fly spray or a mouse trap?

In my opinion the general license worked well and continues to do so. There might be a few idiots who shoot pigeons for shits and giggles but those numbers will be very low and the change is unlikely to stop them, as with most laws and idiots. The few people I know who do shoot pigeons harvest the meat in the same way I do with rabbits and the occasional squirrel.

I had an issue recently with a crow taking all my chicken eggs. I had it on trail camera going into the hen house. Once shot the egg taking stopped. What a waste of time and effort to apply for a special license just for one crow. Let alone the eggs I would have lost during the time taken to get the license if it was approved.

In my garden I feed not only my chickens but several wild pheasants over winter and even the rabbits seem to like the pellets. I get pigeons too on the feeder and the wild bird feeders I have put out. I don't shoot any of these as they aren't causing me any problems. I do shoot rabbits on my permissions where they are causing farmers a problem.

We are responsible shooters on the BBS. I find it insulting that you think we shoot anything just for fun.

[Baxterbasics]

....and in the real world, how many less Pigeons, Crows etc will be shot?
Not many.

[Retracted_Yeti]

Excellent well put post. Far too many people are blatting away at birds for no other reason than ‘just because I can’ and claiming they’re doing it under general licence.

Shooting pigeons and crows in your garden isn’t protecting farmers crops and preventing spread of disease.

Obviously there’s a need for farmers and country folk to control numbers for reasons listed under the general license but every Tom dick and Harry have been using it as an excuse to shoot birds unnecessarily.

Those who legitimately shoot known pest birds can still continue to do so by applying for an individual license.

So what about the pigeons eating all of my Morello Cherries, leaving me with nothing to make my Morello Cherrie wine with?

What about the same(now very fat) pigeons shitting all of those said Morello Cherries ALL over the remains of my garden, that my 4 year old grand daughter plays in??????…...all birds EXCEPT pigeons are welcome in my garden.

Cheers.

Roy.

[rifleman56]

i was going out after rooks on saturday, branchers but not now.if this dont get sorted out soon they will be gone,

[Clean Shot]

Seems like another stupid overreaction to me..
How long before this applies also to Rabbits, Squizzers and Rats....... methinks perhaps not too long.

Airgunners by enlarge are responsible Ive been asked and have rejected countless times you do a bit of shooting dont you....?? Come round and take care of the woodies in my garden please.
But even if you factor in the idiots amongst us who would knock them off at any opportunity, we are talking about Corvids and Pigeons here pest species pure and simple.

I had respect for Chris surely he understands that corvids also rob the eggs and take the young from other species of songbird etc etc

Its what we do, control these otherwise unchecked species in our countryside.

bad move all round
BASC et al where were you on this one its why I pay my dues.