Wildlife crime needs enforcement, not gamebird licensing - BASC

BASC has responded to a new RSPB report on the illegal killing of birds of prey, reaffirming its zero-tolerance position on wildlife crime while calling for targeted enforcement rather than sector-wide licensing.

The report, published by the RSPB, records 921 confirmed incidents of illegal bird of prey persecution across the UK between 2015 and 2024, with 55 per cent occurring on or near land managed for gamebird shooting. The charity is using the findings to call for mandatory licensing of all gamebird shooting in England and Wales, with cases assessed under a civil rather than criminal burden of proof.

Catch the criminals. Don't punish the countryside.

BASC’s deputy director of conservation, Dr Marnie Lovejoy, said: “BASC unreservedly condemns the illegal killing of birds of prey. These incidents are carried out by a small minority and have no place in the modern shooting community. The RSPB is calling for gamebird shooting to be licensed, but licensing punishes the responsible majority for the crimes of a few. Behind every shoot are gamekeepers, farmers and rural workers whose jobs and communities depend on this sector. Together they manage 7.6 million hectares and deliver £500 million of conservation work every year. That is what genuine partnership with nature looks like, and it is what licensing puts at risk. Licensing doesn’t raise the bar for offenders; it lowers the bar for regulators. That’s not justice, it’s a shortcut. Catch the criminals. Don’t punish the countryside. The answer is stronger enforcement and better-resourced wildlife crime units, targeting the individuals responsible, not those delivering nature recovery on the ground.”