Natural England Gamebird Licensing in 2022

In 2021, pheasants and red legged partridges needed a licence for release on or close to some protected sites for the first time. A new individual licensing system was launched and successfully delivered by Natural England for those circumstances not covered by the new General Licence.

The current GL43, which allows for the release of common pheasant and/or red legged partridge in or within 500 metres of a European Protected Site (subject to specific conditions), expires at the end of May 2022. Natural England is now therefore preparing for the Secretary of State's decision regarding issue of the next general licence for gamebird release, which may have some implications for individual licensing. Bird releases outside of these locations don't require any licence, and in all cases relevant consents will still be applicable.

The dedicated Gamebird Advice Service, which was set up in 2021, seeks to provide the best possible service to customers whilst maintaining the protections that licensing provides both for them and the environment. This proved to be highly successful, and to help inform plans for summer releases, Natural England is intending to launch this online service in March this year, running through until late Autumn. The online advice is also being simplified, with customers being asked just two simple questions from which they can learn if they can operate under a General Licence and if so, how many birds they can release.

The Release Report Form will include a drop-down list of European Protected Sites for customers to select, reducing potential confusion over site names, and speeding up the process. Customers who operated under an Individual Licence in 2021 will also be able to apply for a renewal of that licence in 2022, providing their planned releases are unchanged, without having to re-submit an application form. Licence holders from 2021 will be contacted and offered this renewal option.

Any queries should be directed to [email protected]