NRW withdraws plans to license release of gamebirds for 2024/25 season

Last week, the Countryside Alliance welcomed an announcement from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) after it shelved plans to license the release of game birds, including pheasants and red-legged partridge, for the 2024/2025 season.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), a supposedly at arms-length advisory body to the Welsh Government, issued a 12-week consultation on 27 March outlining its intention to add pheasant and red legged partridge to schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, thus putting them on par with invasive non-native species.

The proposals laid out by NRW risked amounting to a ban on the release of gamebirds through the back door. They would require a General Licence to release gamebirds and a specific licence to release them within 500m of protected sites such as SSSIs. Releasing gamebirds without the necessary licences would become an offence in Wales.

In correspondence sent to stakeholders this morning however, NRW claim that given the sheer ‘volume’ of responses- 42,000- to their recent consultation, it would not be ‘achievable’ to bring in any changes in line with its current timeline.

It is now unclear whether the licensing plans will come into effect, with NRW stating that it has discussed with Welsh Government ministers whether licensing will be required at all in the future.

The email said: "We have decided, following discussions with Welsh Government, that, should licensing be required, it will not come into force until the 2025/6 season – a delay of 12 months from our original target".

Countryside groups, shoot owners, and representatives of the hospitality trade had warned that the plans risked devastating the Welsh rural economy, while negatively impacting conservation efforts.

Over 12,900 people signed and completed a Countryside Alliance e-campaign, which sent direct responses to NRW in response to the controversial consultation. Countryside Alliance Wales, alongside other shooting groups, also toured packed out village halls, to drum up public opposition to the proposals. 

The value of shooting in Wales is worth some £75million to the economy and provides the equivalent of 2,400 full time jobs. Shooting provides Wales with a 365 day a year tourism industry supporting village pubs, hotels and eateries in the quieter winter months when passing trade is bleak.  

Responding to NRW’s announcement today, the Countryside Alliance warned that there was never any justification for its proposals and that there is no evidence game shooting has any negative impact on the Welsh countryside, arguing the opposite is true.

Alliance Chief Executive, Tim Bonner, said: “ We believe that vast bulk of those 42,000 cited responses came from the shooting community, who opposed the Welsh Government’s proposal to license release which would have provided a vehicle for politicians to progressively restrict shooting”.

“ The overwhelming impression in rural communities is that this is just another episode of ‘Cardiff against the countryside’ and the Welsh Government has a particular prejudice against shooting. Shooting has huge environmental, social and economic benefits for rural communities and our advice to Ministers would be to drop the proposal completely or face a bitter fight with countryside”.