BASC joins other rural organisations to write to Michael Gove

[Debbie BASC]

BASC joins other rural organisations to write to Michael Gove

BASC has joined other rural organisations in writing to environment secretary Michael Gove to demand an investigation into Natural England’s handling of the general licensing “disaster”.

BASC chief executive Ian Bell is joint signatory of the letter alongside the National Farmers Union, the Countryside Alliance, CLA, The Game and Wildlife Countryside Trust, National Farmers Union, Moorland Association, National Gamekeepers Organisation and Game Farmers Association.

The letter says: “As Secretary of State for the Department to which NE is contracted as the current licensing authority, you are asked to undertake a full investigation as to who made what decisions, when, and why. Your Department needs to determine what changes may be necessary going forward, to ensure this sort of disaster is never repeated.”

Mr Bell said: “The rural organisations have united to tell the Secretary of State that this fiasco is simply unacceptable. The shooting and farming community has been failed and Mr Gove has to step in to take decisive action”.

Click here to read the letter in full: https://basc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Joint-Letter-to-Gove-from-SLC-Member-Organisations.pdf

ENDS

[old'un]

Thank you Debbie, its about time you all got your heads together and spoke as one voice rather than the fragmented efforts coming from different quarters.

 

Thank you again for posting

[panoma1]

Excellent work! And on a Sunday too! Thanks for the info Debbie, hope you and all at BASC get to be at home with your families at a reasonable time for your Sunday lunch? 

[wymberley]

Well, we can all work together after all. Hopefully, our associations can continue to do so.

[lakeside1000]

Excellent work by all concerned, but realistically what chance do we have of a fast and satisfactory outcome when this government has been unable to get us out of Europe when over half the voting public demanded it, a few million outraged country folk have little chance to sway the government officials to get involved let alone come up with some kind of resolution in time to save millions of pounds worth of newly seeded crops, hundreds of thousands of new born lambs and an unknown number of ground nesting birds, song birds and other threatened species of our irreplaceable and unique wildlife. The damage may have already been done and will continue while the powers that dictate the laws fumble with bits of paper, make pathetic excuses and stall for more time, whilst issuing sad excuses for replacement licences that are  so obviously UNFIT FOR PURPOSE. all I can say is, its a good job I didn't get rid of my fishing gear, at least for the moment my fishing licence is still valid although im not sure how long fishing will go undisturbed , perhaps its time to emigrate !!!!

[mossy835]

thanks Debbie,for the input nice your all togeter with it,lets hope for a good out come.

[panoma1]

2 minutes ago, lakeside1000 said:

Excellent work by all concerned, but realistically what chance do we have of a fast and satisfactory outcome when this government has been unable to get us out of Europe when over half the voting public demanded it, a few million outraged country folk have little chance to sway the government officials to get involved let alone come up with some kind of resolution in time to save millions of pounds worth of newly seeded crops, hundreds of thousands of new born lambs and an unknown number of ground nesting birds, song birds and other threatened species of our irreplaceable and unique wildlife. The damage may have already been done and will continue while the powers that dictate the laws fumble with bits of paper, make pathetic excuses and stall for more time, whilst issuing sad excuses for replacement licences that are  so obviously UNFIT FOR PURPOSE. all I can say is, its a good job I didn't get rid of my fishing gear, at least for the moment my fishing licence is still valid although im not sure how long fishing will go undisturbed , perhaps its time to emigrate !!!!

Angling is not safe either.....we anglers are not allowed by law to retain any Salmon (prior to June 16th in some rivers and in many rivers not at all!) we may catch in the river, because of the reported decline of stocks in U.K. Waters.........which everyone knows is created by other factors in other places!

 

 

[lakeside1000]

Its understandable that the salmon may need some protection as its numbers have been on the decline for some time, due to over fishing in the estuaries and pollution of its breeding grounds, although I don't profess to be any sort of expert on game fish, but the wood pigeon and rook population has been exploding across the country for years, even with all the means at our disposal to attempt control nothing is working and numbers are on the increase, Its at this time when every thing that can be done should be done that NE have decided to curtail our efforts and leave many species and crops at the mercy of these pests.

[wymberley]

21 minutes ago, lakeside1000 said:

Excellent work by all concerned, but realistically what chance do we have of a fast and satisfactory outcome when this government has been unable to get us out of Europe when over half the voting public demanded it, a few million outraged country folk have little chance to sway the government officials to get involved let alone come up with some kind of resolution in time to save millions of pounds worth of newly seeded crops, hundreds of thousands of new born lambs and an unknown number of ground nesting birds, song birds and other threatened species of our irreplaceable and unique wildlife. The damage may have already been done and will continue while the powers that dictate the laws fumble with bits of paper, make pathetic excuses and stall for more time, whilst issuing sad excuses for replacement licences that are  so obviously UNFIT FOR PURPOSE. all I can say is, its a good job I didn't get rid of my fishing gear, at least for the moment my fishing licence is still valid although im not sure how long fishing will go undisturbed , perhaps its time to emigrate !!!!

I think it largely depends on what we wish for and we need to think very carefully about that. Previously, the system in place was satisfactory and legal. It appears that the only problem is that NE - unlike the previous authority - has more recently failed to carry out the necessary assessments required before the licences were issued and it is this omission that has rendered them illegal and which has been picked up by WJ. As I see it, all that is required is that necessary to correct that omission and once that is done, we can carry on as before

[pigeon controller]

Thanks Debbie, as a BSAC member I was waiting for a measured response and the letter sent is just that. The people on authority have shown themselves to Not Fit for Purpose but I'm sure they will not do the decent thing and fall on there swords.

[wymberley]

20 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

Thanks Debbie, as a BSAC member I was waiting for a measured response and the letter sent is just that. The people on authority have shown themselves to Not Fit for Purpose but I'm sure they will not do the decent thing and fall on there swords.

It looks as though we're both wrong PC. I've just had an email from the NGO and NE have put their oar in big time. Unless the associations can get them (NE) to have a re-think on the crow licence, I hate to think what they'll come up with for the woodpigeon.

Email is copied here:

https://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/387487-new-general-licence-“not-fit-for-purpose”-basc-tells-ne/

 

[GingerCat]

That's a bit more like it. The new crow licence look like it was scribbled on the back of a crisp packet and rushed out without any thought as pointed out in the link above.