WILDLIFE AND COUNTRYSIDE ACT 1981 (AS AMENDED) LICENCE TO KILL OR TAKE CERTAIN WILD BIRDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRESERVING PUBLIC 
HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY This licence, granted under Section 16(1) (i) 5 and 5(a) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), by the Natural Resource Body for Wales otherwise known as Natural Resources Wales (NRW), being satisfied that as regards the purpose set out at paragraph 1 that there is no other satisfactory solution, permits authorised persons to carry out a range of activities against the birds of the species listed 
and hereby grants the following licence which applies only in Wales: - 1. 
The purpose for which this licence is granted is preserving public health or public safety. 2. 
Subject to the terms and conditions below, and for the purpose set out in paragraph 1 this licence 
permits:  
 
(i) 
any authorised person (see definition) to kill or take any of the wild birds listed below, to take, 
damage or destroy their nests or to take or destroy their eggs: 
 
Crow, Carrion   
 
 
Corvus corone 
Dove, Collared   
 
 
Streptopelia decaocto 
Jackdaw   


Corvus monedula 
Jay  


Garrulus glandarius 
Magpie   


Pica pica 
Pigeon, Feral  

 
Columba livia 
Rook  


Corvus frugilegus 
Woodpigeon  


Columba palumbus by shooting or by use of cage trap or net or by any other method not prohibited by Section 5 of the Act; 
 
(ii) 
any authorised person to take, damage or destroy the nests or to take or destroy the eggs of 
the species listed below: 
 
Goose, Canada  
 
 
Branta canadensis 
Gull, Lesser Black-backed  
 
Larus fuscus 
 
Gull, Great Black-backed  
 
Larus marinus 
Gull, Herring  


Larus argentatus 
 

(iii)  the use of a semi-automatic weapon by authorised persons acting under paragraph (2)(i) 
above; (iv)  the use of a cage trap, the dimensions of which do not satisfy the requirements of section 8(1) 
of the Act, by authorised persons acting under paragraph (2)(i) above; (v)   in relation to the killing or taking of Feral Pigeon (*Columba livia*) only: 
 
a) the use of any device for illuminating a target or any sighting device for night shooting, by 
authorised persons acting under paragraph (2)(i) above; b) the use of any form of artificial lighting or any mirror or other dazzling device, by 
authorised persons acting under paragraph (2)(i) above; 
 
(vi)   the use, by authorised persons acting under paragraph (2)(i) above, of any hand held or hand 
propelled net to take birds whilst not in flight. 
 
The works noted above are licensed for the period **as stated above** and are granted subject to 
compliance with the conditions as specified.  Anything done otherwise than in accordance with the terms of the licence may constitute an offence. 
 
Signed for and on behalf of   
Natural Resources Wales 
CONDITIONS 
 
 
1. 
This licence can only be relied on in circumstances where the licensee is satisfied that all appropriate 
legal, non-lethal methods of control such as scaring and proofing are either ineffective or impracticable. 2. 
Except as specifically permitted under paragraph (2) above, this licence does not authorise the use of 
any method of killing or taking, which is prohibited by Section 5 or Section 8 of the Act. 3. 
Nothing shall be carried out under this licence on a National Nature Reserve (NNR) or Site of Special 
Scientific Interest (SSSI) except with the prior written permission from NRWs' Regional Office in 
which the NNR or SSSI is situated.  See note 2 for further information. 4. 
Any birds killed in accordance with this licence must be killed in a quick and humane manner. Any 
bird held captive prior to being killed must be killed out of sight of other captive birds. 5. 
No person convicted of an offence to which this paragraph applies may use this licence unless, in 
respect of that offence, either (1) they were dismissed with an admonition, or (2) they are a rehabilitated person for the purposes of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and their conviction is treated as spent. A person may also use this licence where, in respect of such an offence, a Court has made an order discharging them absolutely. This paragraph applies to offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Deer Act 1991, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, the Hunting Act 2004, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (all as amended). 
6. 
Failure to act within the purpose of this licence as set out in paragraph 1 or failure to comply with the 
conditions of the licence may mean that the licence cannot be relied upon and an offence could therefore be committed. The maximum penalty available for an offence under the Act is a level 5 fine (£5,000) and/or a six month custodial sentence.  
 
7. 
Where any cage trap, including a trap authorised under subparagraph (2)(iii) above is used, then only  
the bird species listed in this paragraph may be used as decoys. 
Carrion Crow   
Corvus corone 
Jackdaw  
 
Corvus monedula 
Jay  
 
 
Garrulus glandarius 
Magpie   
 
Pica pica 
 Rook  
 
 
Corvus frugilegus 8. 
All relevant animal welfare legislation must be complied with at all times, including the Animal Welfare 
Act 2006.  This includes providing decoy birds with adequate food, water at all times, appropriate shelter and a suitable perch that does not cause discomfort to the bird's feet. 9. 
When in use, every cage trap used pursuant to this licence must be physically inspected at least once 
every day and at intervals of no more than 24 hours, except where this is not possible because of severe weather conditions. In such cases, every effort must be made to inspect the cage trap as soon 
as possible. Such an inspection must be sufficient to determine whether there are any live or dead birds or other animals in the trap. 10. Where any live animal, other than a bird included in the list at subparagraph (2)(i) above, has become 
confined in the cage trap it must be released immediately upon discovery (except for invasive nonnative species included in Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Act e.g. mink *Neovison vison*, grey squirrel 
Sciurus carolinensis, which may only be released under an individual licence from NRW). 11. Any birds killed in accordance with this licence must be killed in a quick and humane manner as soon 
as reasonably practicable after discovery. 12. At each inspection any dead animal, including any dead bird, caught in the trap must be removed 
from it. 13. When any cage trap is not in use it must be rendered incapable of holding or catching birds or other 
animals.  In order to render any cage traps incapable of holding or catching birds or other animals, it 
is necessary either to secure the door with a padlock in a fully open or closed position, or to remove 
the door completely. When any Larsen trap is not in use, it shall be removed from site and stored in such a manner as to prevent its accidental use. 
NOTES 1. 
Where the licensed action includes the use of firearms, it is the authorised person's responsibility 
to ensure that he complies with all relevant legislation. 2. 
A licence is not permission from NRW for an activity that could damage a Site of Special Scientific 
Interest (SSSI).  The notification documents for each SSSI contain a list of operations that could damage its special features and for which prior permission from NRW is required.  Owners and occupiers of SSSIs are required to seek the consent of NRW before beginning any of these operations, or allowing someone else to carry out these activities.  A similar process applies for public bodies and statutory undertakers (as defined under Section 28G of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and this obligation applies even where the operations are carried out on land outside of the SSSI. 3. 
Cage traps should not be used during severe hot or cold weather conditions, or when such 
conditions can be reasonably anticipated.  It is recommended that any cage trap or Larsen trap 
used under this licence shall carry a tag or sign that gives the number of the local Wildlife Crime  
Officer for the area.  The tag shall also carry a unique code that allows the owner to be identified 
by the police.  The operator of the trap will contact their local Wildlife Crime officer to obtain this 
code in advance of use of traps.  The operator may include other relevant material on the tag or sign. 
 
4. 
Eggs of species listed in paragraph 2(i) may be replaced by dummy eggs under this licence.  The 
preferred method for egg destruction is to place removed eggs in a freezer for six to eight hours, 
after which time they can be put back into the nest, if the dummy eggs are required elsewhere. 5. 
Birds killed or taken under a licence may be eaten, but with the exception of woodpigeon Columba 
palumbris, may not be sold for human consumption. 6. 
A licence in similar terms has been issued by Natural England in respect of England and by the 
Scottish Executive in respect of Scotland. 7. 
This licence may be modified or revoked at any time. 
 
DEFINITIONS 
1) 
An "authorised person" means: 
 
a) the owner or occupier, or any person authorised by the owner or occupier, of the land on which 
the action authorised is taken; 
b) any person authorised in writing by the local authority for the area within which the action 
authorised is taken; 
c) as respects anything done in relation to wild birds, any person authorised in writing by 
 
i) the Welsh Ministers, in relation to things done for purposes relating to fishing or fisheries in 
the Welsh inshore region (within the meaning of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009); 
ii) any of the following bodies, that is to say, any of the GB conservation bodies, a district board 
for a fishery district within the meaning of the Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1862 or an inshore fisheries and conservation authority. 
 
d) any person authorised in writing by Natural Resources Wales, a water undertaker or a   
sewerage undertaker. 
 
The authorisation of any person for the purposes of this definition shall not confer any right of entry 
upon any land. 2) 
A "semi-automatic weapon" means any weapon which is not prohibited by Section 5 of the 
Firearms Act 1968 (as amended) and which has a magazine capable of holding more than two rounds of ammunition, where the depression of the trigger ejects a single shot, each subsequent shot requiring a further depression of the trigger. 3) 
 "to kill" includes accidentally wounding, whilst attempting to kill in accordance with this licence.