Policy paper

Gamebirds: decision to issue the gamebird general licence for 2022 to 2023

How Defra arrived at its decision to issue the gamebird general licence (GL43), valid from 31 May 2022 to 30 May 2023.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 31 May 2022

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Applies to England

Documents

Defra’s 2022 decision to issue general licence GL43: licence to release common pheasants or red-legged partridges on European sites

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Defra’s 2022 Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) (includes Annex A and B)

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Annex C – Natural England’s 2021 shadow HRA – Part 1: Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Ramsar sites with bird features in England

PDF, 727 KB, 59 pages

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Annex D – Natural England’s 2021 shadow HRA – Part 2: Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and non-bird Ramsar sites in England

PDF, 768 KB, 55 pages

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Annex E – rationale for advice on the buffer zone conditions and the treatment of terrestrial SPAs and SACs below the mean high-water mark (estuarine sites)

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Annex F – marine and terrestrial SAC, SPA and Ramsar sites screened out from full assessment in the NE sHRA

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Natural England’s 2022 statutory advice to Defra – 8 April 2022

PDF, 188 KB, 7 pages

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Natural England’s 2021 statutory advice to Defra – 20 April 2021

PDF, 269 KB, 14 pages

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Natural England's advice on original partridge release conditions as considered in Defra’s 2021 HRA

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Natural England's additional 2021 advice regarding the proposed conditions for the release of partridge

PDF, 164 KB, 5 pages

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Details

These documents were published as part of Defra’s decision to issue the gamebird release general licence for 2022 to 2023.

Read about Defra’s decision to issue the gamebird release general licence for 2023 to 2025.

Defra’s gamebirds general licence (GL43) allows an authorised person to release common pheasants or red-legged partridges on European sites and within their 500m buffer zones.

This document and annexes explain how Defra considered the evidence and came to the decision to issue this general licence for 2022 to 2023.

Published 31 May 2022