Magpie dropped from 2024 Welsh general licences

[Conor O'Gorman]

From 1 January 2024 you will need to apply for a specific licence to take or kill a magpie in Wales for any purpose. That includes the use of magpie as a call bird in cage traps (Larsen, Ladder etc.).

Magpie had been dropped from the 2023 general licence for the purpose of conserving wild birds and will not be on the 2024 general licence for that purpose. Magpie was on the 2023 general licence for the purpose of preventing serious damage or spread of disease to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables or fruit but will be dropped from the 2024 general licence for that purpose. This means that from 1 January 2024 magpie will not be covered by any general licence in Wales, which is a precedent in the UK for this species since general licences first came into being in the 1990s - under a UK-specific derogation from EU directives for the protection of birds.

The reasoning that Natural Resources Wales (NRW) gave for the removal of magpie is in relation to species population data and that is outlined here:

https://ymgynghori.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/evidence-policy-and-permitting-tystiolaeth-polisi-a-thrwyddedu/9f5d8785/

The 2024 Welsh general licences for species such as Canada goose, carrion crow, feral pigeon, jackdaw and woodpigeon have been published and are here:

https://naturalresources.wales/permits-and-permissions/species-licensing/bird-licensing/general-licences-for-birds-2024/?lang=en
 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Conor O'Gorman

[team tractor]

That’s going to end badly 

[holloway]

1 hour ago, Conor O'Gorman said:

From 1 January 2024 you will need to apply for a specific licence to take or kill a magpie in Wales for any purpose. That includes the use of magpie as a call bird in cage traps (Larsen, Ladder etc.).

Magpie had been dropped from the 2023 general licence for the purpose of conserving wild birds and will not be on the 2024 general licence for that purpose. Magpie was on the 2023 general licence for the purpose of preventing serious damage or spread of disease to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables or fruit but will be dropped from the 2024 general licence for that purpose. This means that from 1 January 2024 magpie will not be covered by any general licence in Wales, which is a precedent in the UK for this species since general licences first came into being in the 1990s - under a UK-specific derogation from EU directives for the protection of birds.

The reasoning that Natural Resources Wales (NRW) gave for the removal of magpie is in relation to species population data and that is outlined here:

https://ymgynghori.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/evidence-policy-and-permitting-tystiolaeth-polisi-a-thrwyddedu/9f5d8785/

The 2024 Welsh general licences for species such as Canada goose, carrion crow, feral pigeon, jackdaw and woodpigeon have been published and are here:

https://naturalresources.wales/permits-and-permissions/species-licensing/bird-licensing/general-licences-for-birds-2024/?lang=en
 

your probably going to get the blame for that one as well 😐

[Poor Shot]

Drip drip drip drip..

One by one they'll all become restricted and then drop off the general license in Wales until there are none left and the general license becomes defunct completely.

Can BASC do anything about it? It's probably a huge waste of time trying to speak to those lunatics in Welsh gov/ NRW.

[eggy74]

Absolutely over-run with them here in Sussex. i will hammer them now before the new licences are issued

[Conor O'Gorman]

5 minutes ago, Poor Shot said:

Drip drip drip drip..

One by one they'll all become restricted and then drop off the general license in Wales until there are none left and the general license becomes defunct completely.

Can BASC do anything about it? It's probably a huge waste of time trying to speak to those lunatics in Welsh gov/ NRW.

Not much can be done on general licences but if a bird quarry species review took place in Wales, some might support magpie going on the quarry list with open and close seasons.

[Weihrauch17]

12 minutes ago, eggy74 said:

Absolutely over-run with them here in Sussex. i will hammer them now before the new licences are issued

Is Sussex in Wales 🤣

[jall25]

Write and complain 

Get the syndicate members to do the same 

 

[ShootingEgg]

Unreal, short sighted idiots. Is about as much as I can say on this.

[Dave at kelton]

Wales will be devoid of red listed species the way they are going! 

[London Best]

1 hour ago, ShootingEgg said:

Unreal, short sighted idiots. Is about as much as I can say on this.

It just shows how stupid they are.

[Rim Fire]

On 17/12/2023 at 02:37, jall25 said:

Write and complain 

Get the syndicate members to do the same 

 

Jall unfortunately there is a woman in charge of the NRW and she is anti shooting /// fishing  anything to do with the country way of life 

[jall25]

52 minutes ago, Rim Fire said:

Jall unfortunately there is a woman in charge of the NRW and she is anti shooting /// fishing  anything to do with the country way of life 

 

Yes i totally get that - and they can bury 10 email - or 100 - but once they start getting 1000 ? Then questions have to be asked 

I think all the organisations should ask us all to put pen to paper - but as i have said before - the death of our sport will be inaction and the someone else will do it attitude 

[old'un]

1 hour ago, jall25 said:

 

Yes i totally get that - and they can bury 10 email - or 100 - but once they start getting 1000 ? Then questions have to be asked 

I think all the organisations should ask us all to put pen to paper - but as i have said before - the death of our sport will be inaction and the someone else will do it attitude 

Just wait till Starmer gets into power, I don’t think 5000 letters will help us.

he is now trying to distance himself from the comments “Wales being a blue print for the rest of the UK”.

He can deny it all he wants but unfortunately for Starmer his comments were recorded at the Welsh Labour’s conference….https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2022-03-12/keir-starmer-points-to-welsh-labour-government-as-blueprint-for-uk

 

23 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

Wales will be devoid of red listed species the way they are going! 

Shooters

[jall25]

On 18/12/2023 at 09:50, old'un said:

Just wait till Starmer gets into power, I don’t think 5000 letters will help us.

he is now trying to distance himself from the comments “Wales being a blue print for the rest of the UK”.

He can deny it all he wants but unfortunately for Starmer his comments were recorded at the Welsh Labour’s conference….https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2022-03-12/keir-starmer-points-to-welsh-labour-government-as-blueprint-for-uk

 

Shooters

 

But isnt that the sad sad thing - we have hundreds of thousands of people interested and participating in shooting - but we could not muster more than a handful or sackful of letters

[old'un]

3 hours ago, jall25 said:

 

But isnt that the sad sad thing - we have hundreds of thousands of people interested and participating in shooting - but we could not muster more than a handful or sackful of letters

yep, and its also sad that I and others my age have perhaps seen the best days, but hopefully not, for the sake of you young shooters.

Its true, we are very apathetic when it comes to something like our sport, we always have been but don't ask me why.

[Weihrauch17]

2 minutes ago, old'un said:

yep, and its also sad that I and others my age have perhaps seen the best days, but hopefully not, for the sake of you young shooters.

Its true, we are very apathetic when it comes to something like our sport, we always have been but don't ask me why.

We had a mass physical protest against the Hunting Ban that had zero effect.   Consultations are a sham. 

[old'un]

25 minutes ago, Weihrauch17 said:

We had a mass physical protest against the Hunting Ban that had zero effect.   Consultations are a sham. 

Yes, over 400k on that march, it made very little difference to the outcome, wonder how many we could muster today?

[Bigbob]

It will be too late by the time these people get there heads out there ***** for the song birds etc i also think we have seen the best of our sport maybe our country since we let the loonatic fringe get control 

[Stonepark]

Time for BASC to nationally advocate for every bird (and mammal) relying on General License provisions or similar to be put onto the Game list and therefore only the 'breeding' season needs to be covered by general licence.

 

[jall25]

2 hours ago, Stonepark said:

Time for BASC to nationally advocate for every bird (and mammal) relying on General License provisions or similar to be put onto the Game list and therefore only the 'breeding' season needs to be covered by general licence.

 

 

Not sure about that 

Vermin is vermin

End of 

3 hours ago, old'un said:

Yes, over 400k on that march, it made very little difference to the outcome, wonder how many we could muster today?

 

I think it did - i think it had long lasting effects 

We still talk about it - liberty and lively hood 

[Fellside]

This is a disgraceful mess. Everyone who shoots in Wales should apply to NRW for individual magpie licences. Who hasn’t got a red lister knocking about? We all have let’s face it. Then it’s a simple matter of renewing annually once granted. 

[Conor O'Gorman]

Comment from BASC here:

https://basc.org.uk/magpies-removed-from-welsh-general-licence/

Comment from CA here:

https://www.countryside-alliance.org/resources/news/nrw-publishes-2024-general-licences-removing-magpie-risking-serious-damage-to-livestock

[jall25]

1 hour ago, Conor O'Gorman said:

Comment from BASC here:

https://basc.org.uk/magpies-removed-from-welsh-general-licence/

Comment from CA here:

https://www.countryside-alliance.org/resources/news/nrw-publishes-2024-general-licences-removing-magpie-risking-serious-damage-to-livestock

 

Conor

I think we have sort of missed the point - i and all my shoot are more interested in song birds / woodland birds etc 

I spend so many hours telling people of the damage they do and i cant see mention of nest / egg / chick destruction

Please correct me if i am wrong and have missed it as i have a bit on 

1 minute ago, jall25 said:

 

Conor

I think we have sort of missed the point - i and all my shoot are more interested in song birds / woodland birds etc 

I spend so many hours telling people of the damage they do and i cant see mention of nest / egg / chick destruction

Please correct me if i am wrong and have missed it as i have a bit on 

 

Maybe i did read it wrong - was magpie not allowed to be controlled in Wales for conservation before ?

[Conor O'Gorman]

14 hours ago, jall25 said:

 

Conor

I think we have sort of missed the point - i and all my shoot are more interested in song birds / woodland birds etc 

I spend so many hours telling people of the damage they do and i cant see mention of nest / egg / chick destruction

Please correct me if i am wrong and have missed it as i have a bit on 

 

Maybe i did read it wrong - was magpie not allowed to be controlled in Wales for conservation before ?

In 2022 a decision was taken to drop magpie from the Welsh 2023 conservation general licence. That meant magpie remained only on the 2023 Welsh general licence for prevention of serious damage to crops and livestock (which in itself has sub-clauses for purposes). Now it was been decided to take magpie off that general licence for the 2024 Welsh general licences meaning magpie is no longer on any general licence in Wales from 1 January 2024.