The Countryside Alliance has submitted its response to the Natural Resources Wales consultation on the proposed licensing system to release gamebirds in Wales, undertaken on behalf of the Welsh Government. The Alliance has highlighted the lack of available evidence to support the Welsh proposals and the lack of an appeals process within the suggested licensing system.
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 risk 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.
The system would mean that it would only be possible to release gamebirds subject to the goodwill and co-operation of the Minister and NRW, a position most shooters would find uncomfortable given Welsh Labour’s stance on opposing game shooting in Wales. Furthermore, the licensing system would mean that licences granted could be suspended at any time, which could disrupt a whole season’s shooting and make planning a season uncertain and difficult to negotiate.
Rachel Evans, Director for Wales, said:
“It is no secret that Welsh Government does not support shooting in Wales and it has made this very clear on more than one occasion. This particular move demonstrates its desperation to take control of the sector, despite a lack of evidence to support its intentions. We shall see what the consultation response says in due course, however if you haven’t responded to the consultation I urge you to do so today, regardless of where you live. You can do this by signing our e-lobby which for those living in Wales, also gets sent to your elected Members of the Senedd.”