Confirmed (finally): Natural England's Licence Data To Be Published This Month

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.

photo: Ben Sharples (https://www.pexels.com/@ben-sharples-15117642)