NGO vows to continue to fight back against legal challenges

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The anti-shooting campaign group Wild Justice have announced that they are planning yet another judicial review of one of Defra’s decisions.

The group’s latest challenge is to a rewording of the general licence (specifically GL42) which relates to the killing of certain wild bird species in order to prevent serious damage to livestock or foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, fisheries or inland waters in England. The update, which was announced by Defra on 1 January, was made as an attempt to clarify whether game birds were classed as livestock or wild birds – and when or why the distinction between the two categories might change.

Defra’s update states that the official definition of livestock “includes game birds kept in an enclosure or which are free roaming but remain significantly dependent on the provision of food, water or shelter by a keeper for their survival”.

However, Wild Justice are planning to challenge this update and have written a letter to Defra as the first stage of their challenge. They argue that: “Any licence authorising killing of wildlife should be clear about when it can be used. DEFRA’s GL42 fails that test.”

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation have worked alongside their Aim to Sustain partners in defending the challenges brought by Wild Justice, including being an Interested Party in their most recent cases. This included Wild Justice’s attempt to challenge the Heather Burning Regulations; a failed attempt which saw the group’s application denied three times in court.

A spokesman for the NGO confirmed:

“The NGO will continue to fight any of Wild Justice’s legal challenges which threaten the sustainable management of Britain’s countryside. Wild Justice’s blinkered legal approaches are damaging wildlife simply so they can further their own cause and request yet more money from their supporters. The use of this specific general licence for pest control is of huge importance to many gamekeepers, and the NGO will do everything possible to ensure it remains in use.”