2019

Defra is currently reviewing the General Licensing system that operates in England. The GWCT developed a short survey which we encouraged our members who use General Licences to complete. 3000 users completed the survey and the report is available here.

After months of stakeholder engagement with Natural Resources Wales over General Licences, the Board decided on Thursday 19 September to support a proposal which the GWCT do not support.

The GWCT has produced a survey to capture the detail Defra have said they are looking for here. As with the previous consultation, we will collate and anonymise the information before submitting it to Defra on your behalf.

The GWCT Wales team are in regular contact with Natural Resources Wales (NRW), providing scientific evidence and discussing the practicalities of the General Licence situation. We are asking our members and others to submit their own examples of jackdaw and rook predation and rook and woodpigeon crop damage to us.

One of the replacement General Licences, issued by Natural England in April to protect livestock, is facing a potential legal challenge (General Licence WML - GL26).

Dr. Jonathan Reynolds, GWCT Head of Predation Control Studies, discusses the issue of evidence for General Licences going forward.