THE Countryside Alliance (CA) has welcomed Natural England’s decision not to press ahead with a "shoo, don’t shoot" proposal to restrict pigeon shooting.
A consultation on proposed changes to the General Licences ended in May this year. The suggestion was that anyone using the licence should be able to show that they had tried non-lethal methods of control such as scaring before resorting to the gun. The CA strongly objected to the proposal which has now been dropped.
Barney White-Spunner, executive chairman, said: "The proposal that people should have to scare pigeons before shooting them was always complete nonsense, so we welcome the fact that Natural England has largely listened to the concerns and experience of those who manage the countryside. General Licences are there to enable necessary management and it is vital that Natural England continues to listen to those responsible for that management."
Natural England has still to decide on a number of areas including the use of traps.
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