Natural England has today (Friday 26 April) published the first of the new general licences for controlling birds.

The licence starts to replace the previous general licences for controlling carrion crows, a priority species for landowners looking to protect against damage to livestock. Further licences will be introduced at pace over the coming days and weeks.

The new licence is part of Natural England’s urgent work to identify alternative solutions for all those affected by the decision on Tuesday (23 April) to revoke three general licences for controlling certain wild birds.

Further general licences will be issued as quickly as possible, starting with those species that are most likely to require urgent control. This will mean landowners can continue to take necessary action as they do now, whilst also taking into account the needs of wildlife.

Those who need to control wild birds in the circumstances described in this licence, for example where crows cause harm to new lambs, can now do so without further steps: there is no need to apply for an individual licence. For people in other circumstances who need to take urgent action before new general licences are issued, Natural England has also published a simple online application system for individual wild bird control licences.

The decision to revoke these licences was not taken lightly. Natural England explored all other options available, but was left with no choice but to revoke the licences. This was done to protect people with legitimate reasons to control wildlife from committing offences by acting outside the law.

Natural England’s interim chief executive Marian Spain said:

This new licence should give peace of mind to landowners who need to shoot to control certain wildlife that they can do so within the law.

I recognise, as does my team at Natural England, that the interim measures announced earlier this week will cause disruption for licence users. This is not a ban on control, it is a change to the licences that allow control to take place.

We will continue to work hard to ensure new licences are in place as soon as possible which cover other species and situations. I hope the fact that we have been able to provide this one earlier than first indicated is a sign of our commitment to resolve this problem as soon as we are able and ensure landowners can continue to take necessary action.

Next steps

Natural England is committed to working with farmers, pest controllers, gamekeepers and other professionals who rely on these licences to ensure everyone who needs to control the 16 species of wild birds covered by the revoked general licences can.

What to do if you use a general licence

It is expected that, over time, most situations currently covered by the three general licences will be covered by new licences.

Natural England is undertaking new licensing assessments to support lethal control of certain birds in defined situations. The first of these new licences is now in place to prevent serious damage to livestock from carrion crow. We have also published a timetable to show which licences will be available when.

If people need to take action in the meantime for the species which are still not covered by a general licence, they will need to apply for an individual licence, using our simple application form on GOV.UK.

Background on the general licences

General licences were introduced in the 1990s to allow the legal control of bird species of low conservation concern to protect public health and safety, prevent serious damage and disease, and protect plants and wildlife.

Further details of the wider review into the operation and provision of general licences will be shared shortly. We will seek feedback from those using them and from wildlife protection and other groups. We expect to complete this review by the end of the year.

Part of Natural England’s role is to ensure relevant provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are upheld to protect wildlife, as well as recognising the needs of people

Background

• To apply for an individual species licence, please make use of the online application system. Apply now: Direct link to the online application forms.
• Get the latest comment on this story on the Natural England blog.
• Natural England is working at pace to get the new licensing regime up and running, so users can be sure that they are acting within the law. They will consult with stakeholders in advance of the wider review of general licensing that will take place later this year.
• Currently the three licences subject to the legal challenge cover 16 bird species, including several members of the crow family (crows, magpies, rooks, jackdaws and jays), feral and wood pigeon and number of invasive non-native species (such as Canada goose).

The specific licences:

• General licence GL04: To kill or take certain species of wild birds to prevent serious damage or disease
• General licence GL05: To kill or take certain species of wild birds to preserve public health or public safety
• General licence GL06: To kill or take certain species of wild birds to conserve wild birds or flora or fauna

Natural England has today (Friday 26 April) published the first of the new general licences for controlling birds

Dr Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary highlighted the UK’s success as the No. 1 country for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2018.

Speaking at Mansion House in the City of London to an audience of UK and Qatari delegates Liam Fox spoke about the ‘true vote of confidence in the country” and said the UK is “pro-business, open to foreign investment and open to the world.”

He drew attention to, not only the City of London as a global financial centre, but also to the growing financial hubs of Manchester-Liverpool and of Birmingham, increasingly recognised worldwide for their investment opportunities and business innovation.

Reiterating that Britain is open for Business and is truly global, Dr Fox highlighted the importance of Fintech to the UK economy, saying: “In the first half of 2018 the UK received more than $16 billion in FinTech Investment: 28% of the entire world total and $1.8 billion more than the US.”

Speaking at ‘Qatar day’ at Mansion House, Dr Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary, said:

Already, since the EU Referendum, we have bucked the global trend of falling Foreign Direct Investment.

EY now ranks us first in the world for FDI, having overtaken the USA and we now host over £1.3 trillion of FDI stock – a UK record.

That is a true vote of a confidence in a country that is using Brexit as an opportunity to do what we already do even better.

The UK is a country that is pro-business, open to foreign investment, and open to the world.

The Secretary of State spoke today of the forthcoming political talks in Northern Ireland

The sickening attack that led to the death of Lyra McKee has deeply shocked everyone across the world.

Lyra was a brilliant, talented journalist. She was a role model to many who always fought to make Northern Ireland a better place.

Since Lyra’s death communities across Northern Ireland and the political spectrum have come together – united in condemnation at this murderous act – and they have delivered a clear message:

The people responsible for this act of terrorism have absolutely nothing to offer Northern Ireland and have no place in society.

Due to the hard work, resilience and commitment of the people of Northern Ireland, along with those we entrust to uphold the rule of law, the security situation is transformed.

But there remain small numbers of dissident republicans who remain intent on killing.

Our challenge is to ensure that we continue to work for peace for the whole community. Northern Ireland today is a dynamic, modern, outward looking place and it is open to everyone regardless of their community background, political aspirations, race, gender or sexuality.

Lyra symbolised the new Northern Ireland and her tragic death cannot be in vain.

All of us must take inspiration from what Lyra achieved in her life and work even harder to make Northern Ireland a brighter, more peaceful and prosperous place for everyone.

As Secretary of State, my absolute determination is to see the restoration of all the political institutions established by the 1998 Agreement.

That Agreement has formed the bedrock of peace and progress here since it was reached just over 21 years ago. It must be upheld and it must be defended from those who would seek to undermine it.

Northern Ireland needs its political leaders to stand together and work with each other in the spirit of unity and togetherness – now more than ever.

That is why, the PM and Taoiseach, in their statement earlier today, called formal political talks to restore the Executive, commencing on the 7 May.

The talks will take place in full accordance with the well-established three stranded approach to which we remain committed. There will also be a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) on the 8 May.

Both our teams will be working with the parties on an intensive period of preparation to get ready for those talks.

The Tanaiste and I will do everything in our power to make those talks a success, but we need Northern Ireland’s political leaders to do everything they can to ensure we emerge with an agreement, restore the Executive, and build a better future for the people of Northern Ireland.

Over 21 years ago Northern Ireland’s political leaders reached the Belfast Agreement, and showed how coming together for the benefit of the whole community can achieve truly ground-breaking and remarkable things.

These talks offer us a chance to move forward, restore the political institutions and deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.

I am determined to ensure we use this opportunity to succeed in doing just that. We have a narrow window in which genuine progress can be made and we must act now.