Countryside Alliance News

Changes to General Licenses in Northern Ireland

Written by Gary McCartney | 5 January 2023
After consideration of the consultation responses, a summary of which can be found here and available bird population data, DAERA have now issued interim amended licences for January and February 2023 while stakeholder engagement concludes.
 
Details of the new licenses can be found here.
 
The main changes are as follows:
 
  • Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Starling and House Sparrow have been removed from the general licences
  • Licence TPG1 for the purpose of preserving public health or public safety applies to Feral Pigeon and Jackdaw.
  • Licence TPG2 for the purpose of preventing the spread of disease and preventing serious damage to livestock, crops, etc, now applies to Hooded Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Rook, Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon.
  • Licence TPG3 for the conservation of wild birds applies to Hooded Crow and Magpie and is restricted to use in the breeding season between 1 March and 31 August.
  • There are additional conditions to be observed for intended use of general licences on protected sites.
  • The licence format has been expanded for clarity, and additional advisory material has been added.