BASC advice on pigeon shooting

[Simon Clarke]

BASC issues advice to members on complying with general licences for pest control

 

3rd March 2005………………………………………………immediate release.

 

 

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has issued the following guidance to members on complying with the revised general licence conditions for the control of pest bird species:

 

The government has reissued the general licences covering control of pest bird species. Shooters normally conduct avian pest control under general licences for the purposes of crop protection and the conservation of wild birds. The licences are “general” in that, unlike an individual licence, they do not need to be applied for.

 

If you are engaged in shooting for pest control purposes – such as controlling woodpigeons and corvids - you are advised to observe the following guidelines:

 

 You do not need to carry a copy of the general licence. Nevertheless you should consider obtaining a copy, by post or by printing one off from the link below and carrying it with you to produce if you are questioned.

 

 You must have the permission of the landowner, preferably in writing, to shoot over his land.

 

 Your prime objective is pest control and must meet at least one of the criteria for which the licence is issued, such as: the prevention and spread of disease, the prevention of serious damage to livestock, food stuffs, food-stuffs for livestock, crops, soft fruits, commercial woodlands and inland fisheries. The European Commission recognises that pest control can have the secondary feature of sporting shooting but this cannot be the prime purpose.

 

DEFRA guidance states that you must be able to explain the reason why you have chosen a lethal method of control as more effective and practical than non-lethal methods. Your explanation could include some or all of the following points:

 

 When decoying or walking up it is important to realise that pigeons are a highly mobile species and target vulnerable crops as and when they ripen and can vary their flightlines throughout the day. It would be ineffective and impractical to set up any stationary deterrent such as a scarecrow or scaregun as the pigeons would merely move field.

 

 When roost shooting you are targeting birds that routinely damage crops in the area but who are distributed over such a large area that is ineffective and impractical to shoot them on site or employ non-lethal methods

 

 When controlling corvids for the protection of wild birds you should be aware that the target species are highly intelligent and quickly become used to static or mechanical scaring techniques, which therefore become ineffective and impractical. Because of this shooting, or the use of static or mobile cage traps, is an effective method of control for territorial birds such as magpies, jays, rooks and crows.

 

 There is no obligation on you to have tried non-lethal methods before you commence shooting.

 

 There is no obligation on you to keep any records of your pest control activities although it may be to your advantage to maintain records as evidence of your pest control activities.

 

 When conducting avian pest control you should comply with the following codes of practice: Trapping pest birds, Woodpigeon shooting

 

You can view these codes on the basc website , or obtain a copy by telephoning 01244 573 019 or writing to The Gamekeeping Department, BASC, Marford Mill, Wrexham, LL12 OHL.

 

Copies of the general licences issued by DEFRA are available from:

 

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nobel House,

17 Smith Square,

London,

SW1P 3JR, Tel: 08459 33 55 77

 

or from the DEFRA website

ENDS.

 

For more information call the BASC press office on 01244 573031

Edited March 3, 2005 by Simon Clarke

[rb5037]

Thanks.

 

That's cleared it up for me

 

Good bit of info

[2nd Barrel]

A bit of further info - the Countryside Alliance obtained some verbal clarification from DEFRA yesterday. Unfortunatley it's in a PDF so I can't cut and paste anything

 

 

 

CA Link

 

In essence:

 

Defra are 'happy for people to use the general license widely'

 

And have to 'demonstrate that they have considered alternative methods', not necessarily used them.

[Country Boy]

So there we have it, business as usual, or is it?

 

I am rather worried about item 4 of the revised general licence.

 

"This licence can only be relied upon in circumstances where the authorised person can demonstrate that appropriate non-lethal methods of control such as scaring are either ineffective or impracticable"

 

"Well you see officory I chased the pigeons away earlier but they came back again!"

Perhaps I am being a touch paranoid, but, regardless of the whats, whys and wherefores and showing this form and that form, having the signed permission and BASC NGO CLA or CA membership, I can only see this new statement being an invitation for any so-called LACS supporter or similar having an easier job of spoiling my days shooting of recognised pest species that have in all probability been scared off some other place before coming to me.

 

Did anyone see the article regarding this in the Times newspaper on Saturday, anybody else worried?

Edited March 7, 2005 by Country Boy

[Simon Clarke]

This phrase is at the centre of the current confusion.

This quote form DEFRA was in the Times on Saturday:

 

Defra said: “It is not a requirement that detailed records of non-lethal methods are kept, although this may be helpful under some circumstances. Users must however be able to explain why they believe that such methods are either ineffective or impracticable.”

 

An obvious answer which meets the requirements is :

"Non lethal options will not work because the birds come back"

[Country Boy]

Simon,

 

Thanks for the advice, but this new rule 4 has been well thought out and is part of the plan to force through the collapse of shooting, they don't have to ban it merely create obstacles such as this.

 

Once the antis latch on to the new rule it won't make much difference what reason the pigeon shooter gives on the day.

 

The fact is once shooters are approached in the field, and lets face it this now seems likely to be a possibility, to be questioned about the legality of their actions it is going to become very controversial and will create some fierce disputes, its not what we need.

 

 

CB

Edited March 7, 2005 by Country Boy

[Country_est]

Still worried around the leagality / use of decoys if you are supposedly scaring them off then ticeing them back. Just someting to be tought about regarding the wording on this. :o

 

Especally around the use of "magnets" and remote control flappers and peckers ?

 

Worried of Basingstoke.

[Teal]

How about shooting over cut fields of wheat and barley where the pigeons aren't doing damage at the time of being shot and the place of their being decoyed?

 

Whilst this document may not limit our shooting as we can "get round it", it's the screw being placed into the coffin of shooting and I suspect over the next 60 years or less it will be tightened and tightened until what we know today is all but outlawed. I have to say that I am suprised to see the BASC not more vehemently opposed and trying to get a repeal of this. Especially since DEFRA did this without consultation to the relevent parties.

[RAMMER BURT]

:< shooting will be a thing of the past a long time before 60 years has gone by ,my shot gun liecence runs out this year and this may well be my last once pigeon shooting is banned thats it done and dusted no need to own a gun clays will be next :thumbs:

[Staffs-Shooter]

No ban has been planned yet. Lets wait till it happens before relinquishing licenses or generally panicking.