Originally Posted by
Mason
In your post you hint that you are having problems with pest attacks on your crops and livestock and show concern that the revocation of certain bird species from the General License may impact on your current methods of control. Other than a paperwork trail, there seems at the moment to be little difference between the proposal and the current general license. Both require non lethal forms of control to be tried first and only allow lethal methods as a last resort, when the former has failed or are impractical. There is no right under common law that allows anyone to shoot domestic or wildlife, the exception being dogs that attack livestock which can be shot on sight. As you are aware lethal control is only allowed under the conditions of the General License for the control of pest species. Far from being an attack on the shooting community, it is merely a refinement to the license that if anything affords the shooter greater protection. How? By obtaining the new individual license, you have already demonstrated beforehand the need to the licensing authority, that there is a real need for lethal control of the named species. So if you are reported by a concerned member of the public your license will exonerate you from further inquiries or possible prosecution. The General license does not do this.
You may find my point of view very strange but it comes from an individual who spent a significant portion of his life in the agricultural industry. Perhaps you can list the problems you have been having and the remedies that you have tried so far; if I can help or point you in the right direction I will, as I am sure others on this forum will share their knowledge too.