You and the law

Geoff Garrod marks the card of shooters as a new general licence regime beds in

- Geoff Garrod

Here we go again. New general licences are in place, having taken effect both in England and Scotland on 1 January, issued by Defra and NatureScot respectively.

Are you aware of this and have you read them? If you shoot pigeon, I’d strongly recommend that you do, as you may be breaking the law unwittingly if you don’t know how they cover your shooting. If you’re in Wales or Northern Ireland, then a great deal of the following advice applies to you, too, but you’ll be working under your own set of licences, so check what they permit and ensure you comply with them.

Responsibility

The good news is that the new licences, broadly speaking, won’t stop us from going about our business of protecting crops. Don’t take this for granted, however, and make sure that your situation is covered – the onus is on you to make sure that you’re clear which licence covers you and why. Read them carefully, and it’s a good idea to keep copies of the licence or licences you work under when you’re out shooting.

Sorry to keep banging on about this, but the shooting community is only as good as the ‘weakest link in its chain’ and there are plenty of people who either don’t understand what we do and why, or are keen to stop us shooting. We are all ambassadors for shooting and if challenged by somebody when you’re out, look at the situation as an opportunity to explain pigeon decoying. Show them the general licence that covers you to prove that everything is above board and legal; you never know, you may just be able to convert somebody to the cause.