"It's perhaps our last chance to change the way we perceive, interact and coexist with, our wild birds. We might be the last generation to have that privilege."
After a long wait, Natural England has finally released the bird control licensing figures. I'm afraid the data is depressing with very many species still suffering at the hands of this controversial organisation. Let's not forget too that they were NOT going to release the detailed data until I pressed them to do so. Back in April, Natural England sent me a copy of what they intended to publish. It was a stripped down summary excluding all the relevant detail. After I told them that it wasn't nearly enough, they delayed publication. I submitted a freedom of information request, they took the matter to Downing Street - and only now do we have the data. Quite a journey just to get some statistics..... So, on to my initial thoughts. Cormorants targeted yet again A quick glance at the statistics suggests that among the species targeted in huge numbers are once again Cormorants with no less than 371 licences issued in a little over a year. Natural England has already encouraged the persecution of the Cormorant over several years in order to protect inland fisheries. It is my belief that no species can survive such sustained persecution. 'Fine dining' threatens Black-headed gulls There are many species that may be experiencing significant population decline due directly to Natural England's licensing system. Though many of the 2020 licences permit action against a small number of birds (suggesting more careful decision making), others still appear to offer a somewhat reckless approach to issuing licences. This includes some amber and red listed species. Black Headed Gulls, for example, besides being under threat from culling due to concerns over air safety, are even more heavily targeted for their eggs, considered a delicacy by the elite. This trade in gull eggs is fuelled by 'fine dining' establishments and it's a highly dubious industry, impacting heavily on the species in order to satisfy the appetites of high society. Is this really appropriate in a civilised country that claims to care about the natural world? Natural England clearly thinks so, as it approved the removal and sale of several thousand eggs last year alone - and this during a pandemic. Large scale extermination of geese Various species of geese appear on the list in large numbers, running into the thousands, these including Greylag Geese, with licences for both their large scale extermination and egg destruction. The destruction of Mute Swan eggs also continues to be approved by Natural England, for example they issued a licence to 'take or destroy' up to 300 eggs to 'conserve flora or fauna' in Wiltshire. The problem of 'air safety' Many other rare and declining species continue to appear on Natural England's now notorious list. Oystercatcher and Curlew are still there, being lethally controlled to preserve air safety, as are red kites and kestrels. The numbers are thankfully comparatively small, though this actually begs another question - why do a handful of airports find the birds a threat while most others seem to be able to cope - without resorting to killing them? Red listed species Air safety is also given as the reason for issuing licences to lethally control Herring Gulls, Rooks, Starlings, Mallards, Lapwing, Great black-backed gull and many many more. All in all, though some of the figures are slightly better than in previous years, I remain appalled at the fact that so many birds are being legally killed and controlled by the state. Natural England is at pains to point out to us the value of the work that it carries out and that the number associated with each of their licences represents the maximum allowed under those licences, but nevertheless they have enabled licence holders to destroy that maximum number, so really that is the only number that counts. Without details of the actual numbers killed, we have no other figures to judge. Indeed, Natural England says that it can't publish the actual return figures "due to the complexity of return information" though they insist that "for all bird licences, annual returns show that the actual numbers affected are significantly less than the numbers covered on the licences." This part of the system remains a little murky to say the least. Natural England has to rely on the honesty and accuracy of licence holders to report their actions - and we can't see these figures anyway "due to the complexity of return information" - whatever that means. If we have any doubt that our concerns are justified, we must remind ourselves that Natural England has also been an accomplice in the mass slaughter of England's badger population and in facilitating HS2 in their destruction of wildlife and habitat. To say that our birds remain under threat from the organisation that claims to 'protect England's nature', is an understatement and I'm afraid that we desperately need a complete rethink before we lose entire species from this country as a direct result of a flawed, clumsy and irresponsible licensing system. We should I suppose acknowledge that Natural England did (eventually) publish the data, allowing us an opportunity to explore the figures. This at least contributes to the transparency promised by the organisation moving forward. But we now have a responsibility to really examine the data and ask questions, flag concerns and collectively work towards reducing the number of licences issued. Every bird saved has the potential to re-build populations of many species that have drastically declined in recent years. Where are the RSPB? Where indeed.... time and again people ask me what the RSPB has been doing in regard to questioning the licences. It would appear to be very little. I've worked hard to secure public access to this data while the RSPB stood back with apparent ambivalence. It should also be noted that the detailed licence data relating to all other animals (aside from birds) is still hidden from the public, with only basic statistics published. This is something that needs to be addressed by those organisations interested in the welfare and protection of other species. Or do they, like the RSPB, expect someone else to do that job for them? Examining the detail I'll be taking a more in depth look at the licences over the coming days and weeks. I would urge you all to do the same (see links at end of post). It will be very depressing reading I'm afraid. Meanwhile, I've captured some screenshots in the video below showing the range of species affected by Natural England's kill licences. Note that these are a small sample of the lethal control licences, and that there were also large numbers of licences issued to destroy the nests and eggs of various species. The only way out of this spiral of species destruction will be a complete overhaul and reassessment of the system and the ethics behind the decision making. It's perhaps our last chance to change the way we perceive, interact and coexist with, our wild birds. We might be the last generation to have that privilege. Link to our petition: HERE Links to the data: HERE
Video soundtrack courtesy of https://orangefreesounds.com/
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Number Ten approves release of Natural England's Licence Data
Hi folks, Well, I know we've had a few false starts over all this, but I think I finally have some good news. I've just heard from Natural England that the wildlife licensing data for 2020, (including of course wild bird control licences), will be published by the end of this month. Natural England's Head of National Operational Projects and Complex Cases, David Slater, contacted me today and told me that "It has all been ready for a while but we have had to wait for number ten approval." (Yes folks, this has been right to the very top - I told you we were making an impact...) He said "I feel like I keep promising you this – but I am told it will be published by the end of this month." The fact that we have Number Ten approval for the release of the data is significant news, though as always we must wait and see the actual statistics. We need the full data, that's what this campaign is all about. Only through examining the complete data can we assess the licensing process and its impact on our wildlife. So, anyway I wanted to update you all, thanks as always for your continued and unflinching support, it really does encourage and inspire me. I'll let you know when I have a further update. Best, Jase Petition CLICK HERE (386,000+ Signatures!)
* "Haughty attitude" from Natural England as data is delayed yet again
* Freedom of Information results also delayed Hey folks, well guess what? Just as the lethal control licence data was supposed to be published, our friends at Natural England have decided, (after three months of promising that the stats are 'ready to go'), that we the public still are not allowed to see the figures - and they've postponed publication yet again. I wonder why? It's almost as though they are trying to hide something isn't it? Or are they just dithering and blithering? Take your pick. Haughty Attitude Bear in mind that under the agreement I made with Natural England back in 2019, the data is supposed to be published annually in March, so it's already more than three months late. Last month their Head of National Operational Projects and Complex Cases, David Slater, told me that publication had been rescheduled yet again. "....sadly this is out of my hands...the earliest slot I have been able to get is 10th June..." he said, "would you believe..." I'm assuming that the lack of a question mark was intentional, his "would you believe" was clearly rhetorical, and he perhaps wasn't interested in an answer. I contacted him again last week on the morning of 10th June, the big, much anticipated, day of publication, and asked if he could confirm that the data was going live. I'm still waiting for an answer.... I've not even had the courtesy of a response. It's this haughty attitude that has given Natural England such a bad reputation with the public. That and slaughtering our wildlife of course. Freedom Of Information - Delayed Anticipating this turn of events, last month I decided to submit a freedom of information request to obtain the data, 'just in case' the figures didn't materialise on time. Well, yesterday as the results of that foi request were becoming due, I heard from an 'adviser' on Natural England's Legal and Governance Team (they have a lot of 'advisers' you know), with this:- "I regret that we must extend the time limit for responding by 20 days to 09 July 2021 as we are currently clearing the stats through our Comms Team ready for publication". She helpfully added "...although we hope to reply sooner." I'm not holding my breath. "Clearing the stats....for publication". Weren't the stats supposed to be 'ready to go' months ago? "We Have Nothing To Hide" But don't worry everyone, let's remember what I was told back in 2019 when Natural England were imploring us to believe that they were committed to being open and transparent about their work. "We have nothing to hide" they insisted. Really? It's beginning to look a lot as though they are desperate to conceal everything from the public, at least until they "clear the stats". Anyway folks, we're here for the long haul I think. Hang in there people, things are just getting interesting. And remember, the truth will out. Best, Jase Campaign Petition: CLICK HERE
As Natural England continues to push back publication of its wildlife licensing data, the patience of the public is wearing thin....
After delaying publication of the wildlife licensing data for a full two months (it was due in March), Natural England suddenly decided that some 'tweaks' were needed before the data could be published. This in spite of the fact that on 16th April they told me that "We have all the data and an explanatory blog ready to go". With regard to those mysterious 'tweaks', David Slater, Natural England's Head of National Operations, told me on 13th May that "There was a bit of a pipeline of communications to be published this month and ours in the queue. I was also not happy with how some of the data was presented, so have asked for some tweaks..." All I know is that the data is now nearly three months late and people are really running out of patience. Mr Slater added "So I’m afraid it wont be going live until at least next week." Well guess what - 'next week' came and went..... 21st May: And another excuse.... Relentlessly I chased up the data yet again; and with diminishing hope of it appearing any time soon, I asked Natural England for a statement to pass on to you all. Here is the response: "It's been an extremely busy month for government comms. The pre-election period has created a backlog and we have been asking for a slot for the last few weeks. The earliest slot I have been able to get is 10th June would you believe." Would I believe??? Well, I won't comment on that further than to say if it's 10th June then so be it. That said, cynic that I am, earlier this month I submitted a freedom of information request to obtain the complete data, just in case it wasn't forthcoming from Natural England.... I should have the results of that request within a similar time frame to the proposed official release of the stats, so let's see which arrives first, the FOI results or Natural England's publication.....place your bets.... Of course I will let you all know when either is available and I'll begin the task of sifting through the figures. Meanwhile thanks for your continued support. We've come this far, we're not giving in, of course we're not! This is for the birds, for wildlife in the UK. Indeed now it is a matter of principle too. We should be able to rely on government advisers to do the job they are tasked with and paid to do, but as I believe we have shown many times, they cannot be trusted to look after nature on our behalf without our careful monitoring and intervention. And so the campaign continues. Here again is the petition: please continue to share far and wide: Link to Petition
Hi folks,
Okay, so time for some good news! After much persistence on my part, I now have an assurance from Natural England that it will publish the wildlife licensing data on, or around, May 7th. This will of course detail the bird control licences, and also data covering bats, badgers, newts and everything else that Natural England issue licences to control. I specifically asked if the data would include comprehensive details of each and every bird control licence issued and I have been told directly by a senior official within the organisation that he has requested that the data be 'the same as in 2020', so I am expecting that the FULL data will be published, as it was last year. That should include every licence issued for bird control, together with all the associated details. So, there we are, I wanted to share this with you. It's a result, albeit one I had to fight for! Let's look forward now to seeing and examining the data. I'll be honest with you, I was at a (temporary!) low ebb for a couple of days, it seems to be a constant struggle dealing with authorities and organisations, and it's often incredibly frustrating. On top of that, I witnessed environmental damage caused by idiots in my own locality during the past few days, including the destruction of a wildlife pond and the brutal felling of several trees, all of which left me deflated and a little dejected. Such crimes against nature seem so widespread that it sometimes begins to feel futile trying to stop it all. But we must try to gain perspective somehow and soldier on. Good will always defeat bad. On that note, I know that many of you are busy doing whatever you can to help nature. Whether it is building a nature friendly environment around you, feeding the birds or protesting at industrial destruction of our forests, it does all help and I thank you with all my heart. This week I have been busy in and around our garden, potting up wild Cherry tree seedlings, planting Elders and delighting in the birds. It's healing. Well, back to the business at hand, the wildlife licences and the good news that Natural England will be publishing them soon. A big and very sincere thank you, each and every one of you, it was only with your support that I was able to convince Natural England to release this data. We have a whopping 382,129 signatures now and it's growing all the time. Astonishing. Onwards now, the campaign continues. Please share the petition far and wide. Here it is; CLICK HERE Enjoy the Spring, Best, Jase
What on earth could Natural England be trying to hide from the public?
Is the full data too controversial to share with us? Perhaps licensing wild bird control, enabling the badger cull and facilitating the destruction of ancient woodland is just the tip of a very murky iceberg? Fury is building as Natural England appears to have reneged on an agreement to publish its complete wildlife licensing data on time. This, in spite of the organisation's claim to be 'as transparent as possible going forward' As many of you will know, I started our campaign in 2018 after discovering that Natural England had been issuing licences to 'lethally control' (ie. cull) thousands of wild birds. The data surrounding these licences was not in the public domain and I had to use the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the shocking statistics before bringing it all to public attention through my blog and subsequently the national media. As a result of this publicity and the ensuing public outcry, I had useful and productive discussions with James Diamond, then Natural England's Operations Director, over the licensing process. It seemed we were making significant progress and that my calls for more transparency and openness were being heeded. The dialogue with Natural England had largely been initiated due to pressure from our petition which very quickly attracted more than a quarter of a million supporters. This has since grown to an unprecedented 378,104, with more people adding their names every day. Broken promises and empty words? When David Slater took over from James Diamond late in 2019, he contacted me to confirm that he remained committed to ensuring more transparency surrounding the licensing system. As "Head of National Operational Projects and Complex Cases (Director for Wildlife Licensing & Enforcement Cases)" he is a figure of some authority at Natural England. This is what he told me when he took the role:- "We will make sure we publish our annual stats at the end of March each year from now on. I am keen to be as transparent as possible on our wildlife licensing work going forward." (David Slater, December 2019) It now appears that those were empty words. Data no-show Sure enough, last year Natural England did publish all the statistics in full, though only after I urged them to do so.... This year, however, it looks as though Natural England has reneged on that promise to be 'as transparent as possible' with us. The wildlife licensing data they said they would share annually, every March, was a no-show when it was due last month, and as I write we are still waiting for it to be published. Useless data and lack of detail And it was looking so hopeful... On 15th March, David Slater confirmed to me that the data was on track to be released by the end of the month. It didn't appear. But then on 1st April (appropriately enough...) he offered to send me a copy of the information that Natural England planned to soon publish. While this sounded like a very welcome gesture, it transpired that the intention might have been to pacify me with some neatly presented but pretty meaningless figures. Because it just turned out to be a selectively edited, and frankly quite useless, version of the licensing data which specifically withheld the important information, such as numbers of birds and other wildlife affected by each licence. I replied that I wasn't happy with the lack of detail and I asked for this to be looked into and rectified prior to publication. "Rude and insulting" I have now asked three times for an update and I have received no response at all. As I write, it is the 9th April and we are still waiting for any data to be published. Not only is Natural England's attitude rude and, let's face it, ignorant, I feel it is insulting to each and every one of the 378,104 people who have signed our petition. Palpable frustration towards Natural England is building, and this would be entirely avoidable if they just did the right and proper thing. Questions upon questions With such a huge number of people asking for more accountability from the Government's 'adviser for the natural environment', it's just not good enough that we are being given the silent treatment. If Natural England does not want to publish the figures then they must also be clear about why they don't want to share the information, especially after pledging to be more open and transparent. It all raises so many questions. Why will they not honour their agreement to release the data? What on earth could they be trying to hide from the public? Is the full data too controversial to share with us? How much wildlife have they been complicit in killing through their licences? Perhaps their bird control, together with enabling the badger cull and facilitating the destruction of ancient woodland is just the tip of a very murky iceberg? Silence and lack of transparency breeds suspicion and doubt. If they don't tell us the figures then what are we to think? So, I urge Natural England to publish the complete data, as agreed, without any further delay. It will be the only way to salvage public trust - already at a very low ebb - in this secretive organisation and its activities. Petition is HERE, please sign if you haven't already. Thank you.
"The inclusion of species such as Wren, Kingfisher and Chaffinch on the list begs many questions when there are no numbers associated with the licences..."
Here we go again. For the second year in a row, Natural England seems to be trying to hoodwink us with their licensing data. The much anticipated publication of Natural England's wildlife licensing statistics is about to land. The data should tell us how many birds were permitted to be killed last year under licences issued by the government's environmental adviser. But all is not as it should be. Nothing to hide? Ahead of publication, I have been sent the licensing data for last year and it specifically excludes the numbers of birds affected under each licence. Part of the agreement I ironed out with Natural England back in 2019 was that they should publish all the details of every licence issued annually, including the reason for issuing the licence, species affected and specifically the numbers of birds (and other wildlife) affected under each licence. Natural England told me that they were keen to be more 'transparent' and that they had 'nothing to hide'. And yet.... Kingfishers??? The limited data provided to me so far only raises questions and suspicion. There may have been 26 licences issued to kill Brent Geese - but how many Brent Geese? One? Or a thousand? Or Ten thousand? The inclusion of species such as Wren, Kingfisher and Chaffinch on the list begs many questions when there are no numbers associated with the licences. This is really not good enough - and I have told Natural England that we need to see all the figures if we are to have a clear understanding of the work that they carry out. Full disclosure last year - eventually Last year, when a similar thing happened, the excuse I was given for Natural England's plan to omit the crucial figures was that "It is not straightforward to provide definitive data on lethal control for each individual species". However I persuaded them that it would be a good idea if they tried a little bit harder and somehow made it more 'straightforward'. It worked, eventually after a few weeks, we had full disclosure, all the figures published, downloadable and available for public scrutiny. It soon became clear why Natural England might not have wanted us to see the full data, I found many examples of what I considered to be poor practice, some of which I highlighted on my blog. Now I fear that Natural England have shifted the goalposts back again. By withholding the number of birds affected by each licence, any claims by Natural England that they have 'nothing to hide' really are spurious. Lack of public trust This isn't a game, though it sometimes feels like Twister, given Natural England's convoluted approach to statistics. How can Natural England garner any kind of public trust if they fail to disclose the data they promised to share? What exactly is Natural England, the government's 'adviser for the natural environment', trying to hide from us? And why? I've asked Natural England to release the complete data. Let's hope they do the right and proper thing and publish it, in full, before there's another public backlash. Petition: HERE Addendum: In the interest of clarity, we don't know at this stage how many Kingfishers etc. were affected and whether they were licensed to be killed, disturbed, relocated etc. We can however be certain (based on previous years) that Natural England approved the culling of very many birds of very many species. How many? Why? Well, that's the problem when Natural England don't let us have all the data.....
Thanks to our campaign, at the end of March we will once again be able to scrutinise the licence data - and see for ourselves just how many birds are being killed with the approval of the "government’s adviser for the natural environment"....
Ever had the feeling you're not invited to the party? Trying to elicit the courtesy of a response from Natural England recently has been frustrating and disappointing, my polite efforts being met with silence. It was beginning to look as though they didn't want to engage with me. But I finally have some news and it's positive. I can confirm that the wildlife licensing data for 2020 will be published towards the end of this month. This, as many of you will know, is happening as a direct result of our campaign. In 2019, I managed to get confirmation from Natural England that they would publish, annually, full details of every licence they issued the previous year. Our petition, backed by hundreds of thousands of people, pressured the agency into being more open and transparent over their data - and revealed just how many birds and other animals were being killed under their licences. The first figures released under this agreement were issued last March. This was a major success for us because it meant that we, the general public, were finally able to scrutinise the data and raise any concerns we had. And there were concerns a plenty (see my blog post on Starlings for an example). So I was more than a little worried when I tried to get confirmation of a date for this year's data release and didn't receive a response. Twice. Today however I am pleased to say that (with a little persuasion), Dave Slater, Natural England's Director for Wildlife Licensing & Enforcement Cases, has told me that they are "on track to publish as planned at the end of the month". I will be waiting to take a look. And please rest assured that I will be examining it all with a fine toothcomb. I will of course share with you all any concerns I have and I will continue to monitor the activities of Natural England whose much touted vision of "Thriving Nature for people and planet" is, for many, just a tagline with little substance. Let them prove us doubters wrong. |
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July 2023
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