Joint letter to Defra Secretary of State calls for an urgent review of GL43

The decision by Defra to remove Special Protection Areas (SPA) from the new GL43 published on 31 May, with those wishing to release gamebirds on or within 500m of the boundaries of those sites now having to apply for an Individual Licence, has significant implications for numerous stakeholders. Concerns with that decision have been raised with Defra by the Countryside Alliance and other members of the Aim to Sustain partnership, and a joint letter has today been sent to Defra Secretary of State, Thérèse Coffey, calling for GL43 to be re-issued as a matter of urgency with SPAs included alongside Special Areas of Conservation, to prevent an animal welfare crisis and economic collapse of a wide range of rural businesses, and to provide certainty to the game shooting sector.

The decision by Defra to exclude SPAs and those areas within 500m of their boundaries from the new GL43 was made on advice from Natural England. That advice appears to have been largely influenced by the Risk Assessment that was published on 15 December 2022 which focused on the potential risks of transmission of the highly pathogenic avian influenza from released gamebirds to wild birds last summer. That Risk Assessment did not consider the total number of release sites across Great Britain; neither did it consider release sites where smaller numbers of pheasants were released. As such, the results may not have applied to all release sites, or where smaller numbers are released.

At the time of its publication, Defra acknowledged that there was a high uncertainty inherent within the Risk Assessment, with a lack of data and a reliance on assumptions. Indeed, it stated that due to the limited data available, and the reliance on assumptions, particularly around abundance and wild bird contacts with pheasants, the uncertainty in the assessment was high. For Natural England to have used it as the basis of its advice to remove SPAs from GL43 is astounding, as to is the intentional lack of engagement with game and wildlife managers or specialist vets when producing their advice, choosing instead to use its ‘in house’ experts.

It was apparent from a Gamebird Release Licensing Briefing held on 6 June that Defra and Natural England have a complete lack of understanding of the very serious social, mental health, economic, and animal welfare issues that will arise as a result of the last minute changes to GL43. There is also no confidence that the Natural England licensing team will have the ability to issue Individual Licences with the urgency required for the release of gamebirds on SPAs and their buffers this season. It is hoped that the necessary action is therefore quickly taken to address the very considerable concerns outlined in our joint letter to Defra Secretary of State.

Read the joint letter in full

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