Consultation on changes to the general licences that allow certain bird species to be culled ends later this month Patrick Phelvin reports on a dispute over the control of much-loved species.
Conservationists are warning that the humble mallard could become scarce in parts of Devon and Cornwall if plans to allow the destruction of their nests and eggs are given the go-ahead.
The proposals, part of a consultation paper issued by Natural England, would also allow year-round shooting of greylag geese – which are currently protected in their breeding season – and the destruction of the nests and eggs of birds including pied wagtails and robins for health and safety reasons. Both suggestions have outraged conservationists and divided the shooting world.
Natural England wants to amend the General Licence, which permits the control by shooting of certain pest species for crop protection, year round. The amendments would also allow people to smash the eggs and nests of certain species where they pose a risk to health and safety.
It could mean anyone who considered the presence of mallards, pied wagtails, robins or starlings posed a threat, such as a restaurant or pub owner who had an outdoor seating area close to breeding areas, would be allowed to destroy eggs. And the greylag – prized by birdwatchers and as a quarry species by wildfowlers – would effectively be subject to an open season so valuable crops in the north of England could be protected.
