Cautious Welcome As Natural England Refuses To Issue Lethal Control Licences For 'Rural' Gulls14/6/2020
* Steep decline in gull populations jolts Natural England into reassessing its kill licences.
* Lethal control of gulls for conservation purposes will largely be stopped. * After two years of our campaigning, is Natural England finally waking up to a shocking reality? Natural England is turning down many applications for the lethal control of Herring gulls and Lesser black-backed gulls this year. In an official statement, the agency said that it is "unlikely that many further licences for the control of gulls for conservation purposes will be granted this year." This could be a major turnaround - and potentially a significant success for our campaign. But let's look at some details, it's not necessarily that straightforward.... Although Natural England are unlikely to grant permission to shoot gulls in rural areas - which is a very significant development - it will be "prioritising applications related to health and safety, public health and air safety." So, for example, seaside gulls labelled as 'pests' will likely still be culled as the agency bows to pressure from urban councils. While I welcome any reduction in lethal control licensing, some countryside groups are unimpressed. According to a report in The Telegraph, and republished on Yahoo, "Farmers are in uproar with Natural England for refusing to allow the shooting of seagulls". The report cites a group of rural organisations who claim that "only one farmer has been given permission despite hundreds of requests". The Telegraph says that "only 600 herring gulls and 900 lesser black-backed gulls can be killed under licence this year", compared with many thousands in previous years. It goes on to quote Natural England as saying that 713 individuals have applied to control Herring gulls, and 487 for Lesser black-backed, of which 10 have been granted so far. If this is true then a quick calculation suggests that Natural England is issuing licences to less than 1% of applicants, at least where it comes to some species of gull. It would be interesting indeed to see how this refusal of gull licences is reflected across other species. Because a decrease in licence approvals would contrast starkly with the situation from 2018 when I was told by Natural England's operations director that the agency basically approved 80% of licence applications (across all species of birds and mammals), refusing a mere 20% of requests it received. Incidentally, the farmers are 'in uproar' because they say that the gulls are threatening vulnerable species, such as ground nesting birds. According to the report, there have been claims from some countryside groups that gulls are even "attacking lambs and their mothers". Doubtless many farmers really do care about the welfare of ground nesting birds and indeed animal welfare - but cynics might suggest that for some landowners there may be other less virtuous reasons for wanting to control and manage birds in the countryside. According to the report, Marian Spain, Natural England's chief executive, said that both Herring and Lesser black-backed gulls had 'declined significantly in recent years' and were now considered at risk. This statement seems unbelievably crass given the mindbogglingly high numbers of gulls which Natural England has sentenced to death through its gung-ho granting of kill licences over the past few years. Natural England has, in my opinion, been complicit in the sharp decline of some species of gull. Meddling, as Natural England does, in 'conservation', by granting permission to shoot tens of thousands of gulls in past years, it has itself added to the pressure on these species and hastened the birds' decline. Marian Spain added: “It’s essential that we do all we can to reverse this worrying trend. This means placing a limit on numbers that can be killed." The agency's newly discovered concern for these species was echoed by David Slater, Natural England's director for wildlife licensing. In a recent blog post he pointed out that Herring gulls have declined by some 60 per cent , and Lesser black-backed gulls by 48 per cent in rural areas. He added that "It is therefore unlikely that many further licences for the control of gulls for conservation purposes will be granted this year. " This reassessment of gull control licences is long overdue, even though it might be too little and perhaps too late. But it's a welcome turnaround nevertheless and a sign that there may be changes afoot at Natural England. Since our campaign started, our main aim (alongside calling for more transparency and accountability from Natural England), has been to cut the number of licences that are issued each year, a figure that had spiralled out of control. We have now succeeded in persuading Natural England to publish the licensing data annually, so that we the public can peruse and examine the statistics, and hold Natural England accountable where we feel it is necessary. Now, with the refusal to issue lethal control licences for gulls, it looks like our efforts are reaping rewards. It's early days, but if Natural England really is starting to significantly limit the number of licences it issues, then we might be on the verge of seeing all of our hard work come to fruition.
37 Comments
Nikki Deavall
14/6/2020 10:08:30 pm
Am I right in thinking that Natural England also decides on potential need for culling of all of our mammals as well? I'm so concerned that their extremely questionable record regarding our birds is going to apply to our wild mammals too...I'd be interested in your comments on this please Thanks
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Delle
15/6/2020 12:24:40 am
I'm pretty sure that mammals as a class have fewer protections than birds do.
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Elizabeth Crosland
15/6/2020 09:41:34 am
They do unfortunately also have control of our mammals.
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elaine masci
15/6/2020 10:25:00 am
Oh Yes!!!! whilst we are at it what about culling badgers with out any real scientific evidence to support it.
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Barry Stone
15/6/2020 06:22:32 pm
It would be nice wouldn't it? But we must - obviously - bow to the existing scientific knowledge, which decrees they're a pest and responsible for the spread of TV (nothing about feeding prohibited products to mammals themselves, which helped spread the infection of CJD, and more recently this current Covid-19 Pandemic) .
Peter Robinson
15/6/2020 07:02:15 pm
From memory, I think the Govt. went against the advice of it's own Scientific advisory group.
Constance
15/6/2020 07:15:13 pm
Are we not mammals? The way life is going we r also for the end. Well done oak all gour work Jason
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Mark Bevis
14/6/2020 10:13:47 pm
if we only had the power of citizens arrest for the crime of ecocide.
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Elaine Tildesley
14/6/2020 10:30:31 pm
There’s nothing natural about Natural England. They don’t give a fxxx for any type of nature, and as for farmers, they don’t care for birds, animals, or anything that doesn’t give them money. I would like to join unnatural England and issue licenses for shooting farmers. There’s a thought
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Chris Madden
14/6/2020 10:53:19 pm
Trouble is you might have to apply for a licence to go and hunt for your own meat then. To some degree farmers need to protect crops from alleged pests whether they be birds or animals. It's to what level they do it too that should be questioned.
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elaine masci
15/6/2020 10:30:08 am
when did you last have to hunt for your dinner Chris? I would have thought in this day and age technology could come up with deterents.
Simon Tucker
16/6/2020 04:11:47 pm
That is a seriously ill-informed position for anyone not involved in farming to take. Virtually every tale of harm to agriculture from our wildlife is anecdotal and not supported by science: from the absurd claims of foxes taking healthy lambs (domestic dogs are the biggest non-intentional killers of domestic sheep and lambs), the badger cull, and the reduction in the populations of songbirds have all been studied by independent scientists in numerous studies and the answer comes back the same: agricultural practices are toxic to our wildlife and frequently to the very crops and livestock they are looking to rear.
Elaine Rowland
14/6/2020 10:38:35 pm
Well done Jason and thank you for your persistence in dealing with Natural England and holding them to account
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Heather Glenn
14/6/2020 10:39:50 pm
Well done Jason, really good painstaking work is bringing results. I hope this can help other species as well. Thank you.
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14/6/2020 10:50:25 pm
Since the 1970’s the Nature Conservancy (now NE) has been consistently under funded, the research side split from the conservation side and is now so short of staff there is one Botanist to cover the whole country. Defra pull the strings and Defra told a meeting of the Upland Chain that their top priority is for the countryside to look ‘like countryside’for the General Public. When asked where protection of species came the lady said Way down the list,5th or 6th. I feel so sorry for the staff who most of the time can’t get on with conservation work because they are dealing with Agri -environment schemes and the like. Most have to work from home, no offices left much and hours of work cut.
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Sheila Sharpe
14/6/2020 10:50:50 pm
Thank you for all the valuable work that you do to preserve our wild life. It is vitally important that we who love our countryside fight for all that is contained within it.
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Frank Courtney
14/6/2020 11:11:32 pm
Having had much more time in the last few weeks to walk around our local predominantly actively farmed location (North Wiltshire) the decline in nesting birds is staggering. The work you are doing Jason is crucial, not only in the direct impact with (hopefully) reduced licences, but sensitising Natural England to the fact that there are a lot of us out there who are very unhappy with what they are doing, and who aren't going away anytime soon.
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Glenn Overington
14/6/2020 11:24:50 pm
Hi Jason,
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catherine baldwin
14/6/2020 11:35:00 pm
Well done for all your work ,the updates are great .Its amazing how long change takes even when it is glarringly obvious what needs to be done .Who ever called Natural England natural, I can think of other words to call them .
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Gillian Dennis
15/6/2020 12:25:58 am
Thank you so much for all the work you do for the bird population, and all animals too.
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Neil Cairns
15/6/2020 03:03:53 am
A big thankyou Jason, please keep up the great work. It is much appreciated.
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Wildlife Angels
15/6/2020 03:50:57 am
Dear Jason
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Wildlife Angels
15/6/2020 06:54:29 am
We have a page in Instagram: wildformation
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Edward Barratt
16/6/2020 05:45:49 pm
Many thanks to Jason once again for his great work in calling this public body to account. I understand the skepticism about the police and the legal system all too well, but the pressure in shaping public debate and raising awareness through media coverage through this work is essential. There is an absolutely essential place for direct action, which can take many forms and in part this will vary depending on immediate life circumstances. For me, its about fairly simple things: confronting developers on a new development with all the worst features, a local authority where politicians regularly talk about 'protecting habitats' at national and local election time and do nothing, and the unthinking anthropomorphic attitudes and behaviour and downright cruelty to wild animals by pet (cat) owners. If nothing else the new Environment Bill provides a resource to use against hostile forces of this type.
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Patricia Smith
15/6/2020 07:53:15 am
Keep up the good work Jason, but in reality you shouldn't have to do this if we weren't governed by big business.
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Georgina Skipper
15/6/2020 09:59:00 am
As Covid19 rages it is perhaps insensitive to suggest reducing our population from 70 (I think it's 63 actually) million to 40. Nature already seems to be attempting that.
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Helen Harrison
15/6/2020 10:05:08 am
Thank you Jason for doing such sterling work on behalf of wildlife, it seems that natural England may be taking some notice. Awful to hear that they can also grant licenses with regard to mammals. Keep up the Good Work.
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stuart shelton
15/6/2020 10:38:29 am
Whilst I admire your persistence in fighting stupidity, I do have a concern about the fat wood pigeons which thieve the food put out for Reynard. Why on earth are they protected? If ever there were a real pest it would be the wood pigeon.
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Eric
16/6/2020 10:39:23 am
Wood pigeons are just tryng to survive like everything else. Who are you to decide what eats and what dies?
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Simon Tucker
16/6/2020 04:14:41 pm
As Reynard are foxes, that are largely carnivorous, and woodpigeons eat seeds, can I suggest you read few books on natural history? At present you wouldn't have a hope of passing the proposed GCSE in the subject.
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Sam
15/6/2020 11:05:30 am
Thanks so much Jason. It is greatly appreciated. Sam
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Moira
15/6/2020 01:49:16 pm
Thank you, Jason. You are fighting on our behalf to protect wildlife rights, and you are doing an excellent job.
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Richard Crowe
15/6/2020 05:59:28 pm
The greatest harm that farming doesto wildlife apart from pesticides is when it attacks the hedges, the natural refuge of many small mammals, specifically hedgehogs! and birds too. The use of machinary to rip hedges to an inch of their life is a real crime against natural habitat. I'd hoped what I saw in Wiltshire Dorset and Devon would not be repeated in Cornwall largely because of the cornish hedge being built with stone underneath but I am afraid I was too hopeful. Hedges need to be protected and under something like TPO's for trees.
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Peter Hambrook
15/6/2020 06:52:14 pm
Great stuff Jason. We perhaps need to remind our politicians what is going on and that we do not approve. How long until the next election?
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Bazsea
18/6/2020 12:59:33 pm
Although I understand the concerns raised since the restrictions on corvid controls we had lots of small birds now just have a flock of crows. These birds decimate other species and harm lambs as well so perhaps think what will happen when we encourage another aggressive species
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jane Jones
21/6/2020 11:53:18 pm
Thank you Jason for your great endeavours,i think all of this along with HS2 is killing everything we have. I would also like you to ask about the use of Snares in England Scotland has not used them for 30 years now, they are cruel, trap anything in there path causing brutal injury and suffering to any Wildlife unfortunate enough to get caught up in them. The argument is they stop predators, but actually they maim and kill everything. They should be banned forever!
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