NGO Dismay At Buzzard-Control Licence Rejection

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The following statement by the National Gamekeepers' Organisation (NGO) is made in response to Natural England's decision today, Thursday 5 June 2014, to refuse an application put to it for the purpose of controlling a small number of buzzards. The applicant is a member of the NGO, which helped in supporting the application.

A spokesman for the National Gamekeepers' Organisation said: "This self-employed gamekeeper is close to financial ruin as a result of buzzards continually killing his young pheasants. Despite great efforts, he has been unable to reduce the predation by other means, so he quite correctly applied for a licence. NE's refusal to grant him a legitimate solution to keeping his livelihood is both disappointing and concerning, particularly as its own Technical Assessor recommended that the licensing tests were met to the extent that eight buzzards should be caught and held in captivity to reduce predation.

"In rare and genuine cases like this, where buzzards go on a focused killing spree, the fact that people can apply for licences has the potential to reduce conflict and save jobs. But those outcomes are dependent on licences being fairly granted where there is good cause. The inconsistencies between the way this application has been treated and the way NE administers licences for other species are significant and worrying and the NGO will now be seeking advice from lawyers.

"Buzzards are thriving in Britain, with an autumn population of well over 300,000 individual birds. The species is increasing faster in number than virtually any other wild bird. Conflicts with everyday activities are inevitably increasing too and the licensing scheme is an essential component of modern day conservation. NE has a duty to administer it fairly."

Natural England has released to the NGO copies of its Technical Assessment of the application and of its letter of refusal. In the former, NE's assessor considers all the evidence at great length and recommends, on balance, the live trapping and temporary removal to captivity of a total of 8 buzzards. The letter of refusal, however, rejects this potential solution out of hand, simply asking where would the buzzards be kept and who would pay? At no point did NE discuss these easily resolved issues with the applicant or the NGO, it simply used them as a reason to reject the licence against the advice of its own expert.

Notes to Editors

The National Gamekeepers' Organisation represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. It defends and promotes gamekeeping, gamekeepers and ensures high standards throughout the profession. It was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that their profession was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. The NGO has around 15,000 members. www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk