With the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) announcing a consultation on general licences for wild bird control – following similar licensing changes across other parts of the UK – BPCA will host a member summit on August 6, to gather the views of its members who operate under these licences in the Province and submit a response on behalf of those members.
NIEA recently reviewed its general bird licences (TPG1, TPG2 and TPG3) and is proposing amendments to the new licences for 2021/2022.
It is launching a consultation around the proposed removal of Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and Rook from all three of the categories of general licence (public health, serious damage to agriculture, and conservation).
BPCA will ask those attending the summit to provide it with detail on whether they believe that the species mentioned should be removed from the general licences.
BPCA said: “You will need to provide evidence or reasons for believing that these species should not be removed from the licences. This will allow us to collate responses and make our submission by the consultation deadline on August 12.
If you are a BPCA member operating in Northern Ireland using the current general licences, please register for the member summit and make sure your voice is heard.
The summit will take place between 8.30am and 9.30am on Friday, August 6. To register for the summit, click HERE.