Some wild birds can now be killed in order to protect game birds bred for shooting in England, after the government updated guidelines on its general licences. General shooting licences give broad permissions to shoot certain species of wild birds to protect livestock, aid conservation, and preserve health and public safety. This does not include supplementary feeding.”A Defra spokesperson said the change was made after gamekeepers asked for more clarity about whether game birds counted as livestock. The new language makes it clear that wild predatory birds cannot be shot under this licence in order to protect wild game birds that are not dependent on food and shelter from humans, but they can be shot under the licence if they are. None of the changes alter the activities licence users are authorised to do.

Source: The Guardian January 03, 2022 23:45 UTC