Members Urged to Respond to Pest-Bird Licence Consultation

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The National Gamekeepers' Organisation has called on its members to act today and reply to the Natural England consultation on the future of General Licences for controlling pest birds. All responses must be with Natural England by 19 May 2014.

The NGO considers some of the suggestions contained in the Natural England document to be "ludicrous" and "impractical" and believes these elements will hamper the work of gamekeepers going about routine wildlife and conservation management. The NGO is encouraging its members to spread the word to fellow keepers at grassroots level about the importance of responding to the consultation.

The NGO has asked its 15,000 members to read the detailed response it has submitted to Natural England and then to make a personal reply to NE by email. The full NGO response to the consultation (and contact details for Natural England) can be viewed on the NGO website at http://www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk/media/uploads/cat-274/NGO Response Form - Gen Lics.pdf

The NGO has asked its members to consider doing the following when responding to the Natural England consultation on the future of General Licences for controlling pest birds:

Lindsay Waddell, the Chairman of the National Gamekeepers' Organisation, said: "The consultation on pest bird licensing in England isn't all bad news. There are some sensible parts. But it contains a lot of daft, ludicrous and impractical stuff too, including the now infamous 'shoo before you shoot' clause. Don't forget this would also apply to all bird trapping. I would urge all members to read our detailed response on the NGO website and to make a personal and individual reply to Natural England before 19 May 2014. Contact your gamekeeping friends and ask them to do the same. How we get to do our job in the future may well depend on it. Please do it today."

Notes to Editors