Wales gamebird release licensing proposals - the fight goes on

[Conor O'Gorman]

Natural Resources Wales has recommended to the Welsh Government that the release of pheasant and red-legged partridge should be subject to a licensing regime in Wales from 2025 onwards. This is despite a massive response against the proposals and NRW's admission that it had not in fact reviewed all the responses. Thanks again to the PW members that took the time to respond to the consultation earlier this year. The fight goes on.

Click the link below for an initial response to this from BASC.

https://basc.org.uk/basc-seeks-legal-advice-over-wales-gamebird-plans/

Click the link below for the NRW announcement

https://ymgynghori.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/evidence-policy-and-permitting-tystiolaeth-polisi-a-thrwyddedu/nrw-s-proposed-approach-to-regulating-the-release/

[Poor Shot]

This is never going to go away. We can only hope that Labor are booted from the Senedd in 2026 and replaced with a government that is willing to work with the countryside and not against it.

If I could wish one thing from BASC, it would be to knock the lead ammunition lost cause on the head and concentrate all funds and efforts into this. Once Welsh Gov bans (regulates) the release of game birds then England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow suit.

We can live with lead alternatives but if game bird release is banned then near everything else will go with it.

[Conor O'Gorman]

19 minutes ago, Poor Shot said:

This is never going to go away. We can only hope that Labor are booted from the Senedd in 2026 and replaced with a government that is willing to work with the countryside and not against it.

If I could wish one thing from BASC, it would be to knock the lead ammunition lost cause on the head and concentrate all funds and efforts into this. Once Welsh Gov bans (regulates) the release of game birds then England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow suit.

We can live with lead alternatives but if game bird release is banned then near everything else will go with it.

I agree, we need to make a stand in Wales. 

[Weihrauch17]

They won't issue any.  Labour detest Field Sports, this will be a template for Starmer.

[greylag]

NRW role over again.The "Welsh Government" run NRW never mind what the people want Drakeford and his little army will get their way.

They have publicly said they are against shooting for pleasure.While this tin pot lot are in charge countryside activities in Wales could be doomed never mind how much money it brings to the table.The economy minister is against it ,rural affairs minister is against it ,in fact every labour cabinet minister would vote to ban any form of shooting.

We have a huge fight on our hands.

[Poor Shot]

Take the fight to the only other party in Wales that is in with a shot of knocking Labor out next time round. If you could get into Plaid Cymru and show them just how much a vote winner actively going against the devastation of the rural economy would be then you could trigger a response similar to that which lead UKIP to force the conservatives into holding the brexit referendum. 

I'd say that Labor are already hemorrhaging popularity amongst their core voter group following the appalling M4 expansion and 20mph limit decisions made by Labor in the last few years. If the competition are seen to be hoovering up votes in the mid and north Wales areas by supporting the countryside then they'll soon reconsider. 

It's all about power and how long they can maintain it for these creeps. 

[Scully]

I’m assuming that the push for licensing is because the Welsh government doesn’t actually know where or how many shoots there are actually buying poults to raise for shooting? 
Then when they know who and where they are, they can then get on with the job of shutting them down, as that appears to be the agenda. 
Perhaps wild bird shoots may become the order of the day? 

[PeterHenry]

24 minutes ago, Scully said:

I’m assuming that the push for licensing is because the Welsh government doesn’t actually know where or how many shoots there are actually buying poults to raise for shooting? 
Then when they know who and where they are, they can then get on with the job of shutting them down, as that appears to be the agenda. 
Perhaps wild bird shoots may become the order of the day? 

I would guess they possibly have a rough idea, because my understanding is that you have to register as a poultry keeper if you have over 50 birds. Quite how many shoots do this I don't know - but I would expect the bigger ones (the ones that are perceived to be the problem from my understanding) to be more likely to conform to the need to register as poultry keepers than the chaps from the pub who released 300 birds on a local farm for a small rough shoot?

[Scully]

7 minutes ago, PeterHenry said:

I would guess they possibly have a rough idea, because my understanding is that you have to register as a poultry keeper if you have over 50 birds. Quite how many shoots do this I don't know - but I would expect the bigger ones (the ones that are perceived to be the problem from my understanding) to be more likely to conform to the need to register as poultry keepers than the chaps from the pub who released 300 birds on a local farm for a small rough shoot?

Ah, fair enough. Didn’t know that. 👍

[Conor O'Gorman]

Further comment from BASC here:

https://basc.org.uk/nrw-moves-goalposts-on-gamebird-releasing-proposals/ 

See also a CA response here:

https://www.countryside-alliance.org/resources/news/nrw-under-fire-for-recommending-licensing-scheme-for-release-of-pheasants-and-red-legged-partridges/ 

And a NGO response here:

https://www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk/articles/ngo-to-take-legal-advice-over-nrw-game-bird-licensing-recommendations/

 

[Conor O'Gorman]

The Telegraph reports on our concerns that Wales faces a back-door ban on game shooting.  

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/12/shooting-ban-by-backdoor-wales-government-gamebirds-limit/

[Weihrauch17]

On 09/11/2023 at 18:43, PeterHenry said:

I would guess they possibly have a rough idea, because my understanding is that you have to register as a poultry keeper if you have over 50 birds. Quite how many shoots do this I don't know - but I would expect the bigger ones (the ones that are perceived to be the problem from my understanding) to be more likely to conform to the need to register as poultry keepers than the chaps from the pub who released 300 birds on a local farm for a small rough shoot?

AFAIK Pheasants in a pen are classed as Livestock not Poultry.

[Poor Shot]

The comments on that Telegraph article are surprisingly promising.

[PeterHenry]

52 minutes ago, Weihrauch17 said:

AFAIK Pheasants in a pen are classed as Livestock not Poultry.

I don't think poultry and livestock are mutually exclusive terms as far as this is concerned  - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/poultry-including-game-birds-registration-rules-and-forms - if you go to the compulsory registration form and scroll down to page four, you'll see see covers game bird releases.