Further to this morning’s blog (here), Natural England has now formally confirmed its tighter restrictions on the release of non-native Pheasants and Partridges on, or within 500m, of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in England, due to the continuing very high risk of spreading Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu).
As expected, General Licence 45 (the licence under which restricted numbers of gamebirds can be released on or within 500m of Special Protection Areas, which was introduced after a legal challenge by Wild Justice about damage to protected sites by gamebirds) will remain withdrawn this year, which means that if gamebird shoot operators want to release non-native Pheasants or Partridges on or next to SPAs, they will first need to apply for an individual licence from Natural England.
The only SPA where individual licence applications are likely to be successful with standard mitigation is the marine SPA in Cornwall, Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay.
Natural England has indicated the SPAs where an individual licence may be granted (with restrictions on the number of birds that can be released) but probably with a delayed gamebird release date (of either 1 Sept or 1 Oct 2026) as follows:
SPAs where applications are likely to be successful with delayed release
- Ashdown Forest (1 September)
- East Devon Heaths (1 September)
- Great Yarmouth North Denes (1 October)
- Greater Wash (1 October)
- North York Moors (1 September)
- Northumberland Marine (1 October)
- Outer Thames Estuary (1 October)
- Peak District Moors (South Pennine Moors Phase 1) (1 September)
- Porton Down (1 October)
- Solent and Dorset Coast (1 October)
- South Pennine Moors Phase 2 (1 September)
- Thorne and Hatfield Moors (1 September)
For any other SPA not listed above, Natural England states it is likely to refuse an individual licence. For the first time, this includes the large Breckland SPA in Norfolk/Suffolk, which will affect a number of large estates that are (in)famous for their Pheasant and Partridge shoots.
Stand-by for representatives of the gamebird shooting industry proclaiming world-ending rural Armageddon in this area as a result of the new restrictions.
Natural England’s bulletin also states that a significant number of licensees failed to provide returns within the required time limit last year, and that this is an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act. What a surprise. Whether there’ll be any follow-up enforcement action remains to be seen.
Here is a copy of Natural England’s gamebird licensing bulletin, published today:
Raptor Persecution UK 
“Natural England has now formally confirmed its tighter restrictions on the release of non-native Pheasants and Partridges on, or within 500m, of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in England”
We have Wild Justice to thank for this:-) Maybe – just maybe – the ‘tighter restrictions’ bit is down to Emma Reynolds? (we live in hope…)
Natural England write: “We recognise the conservation value that well-managed shoots can deliver through stewardship such as woodland and hedgerow management, and winter stubble provision, wild bird cover and supplementary feeding.”
That is PR bullshit:-( No one can attribute any woodland or hedgerow to the existence of shooting with any degree of certainty, while the ‘supplementary feeding’ has brought about a huge change in the ecological rural balance away from the small-seed-eaters towards larger species such as Wood Pigeons and corvids…
Natural England write: “In 2025, we also became aware of a number of gamebird releases which were alleged to have been conducted without an individual licence, and in areas or at densities not eligible to rely upon GL43. The release of gamebirds on or within 500m of a European site without a licence is an offence under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Cases involving allegations of unlicensed releases are always referred to local police forces for further investigation and, where proven, may result in criminal sanctions.”
Where some local police forces – not regularly involved with illegal persecution and hence the widespread criminality within the shooting community – will hardly have a clue what to do:-( Not that the sanctions amount to much, anyway:-(