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Farmers in row over refusal to allow seagull shootings with just one licence approved this year

Limited numbers of herring gulls can be killed under licences this year - Matt Cardy/Getty
Limited numbers of herring gulls can be killed under licences this year - Matt Cardy/Getty

Farmers are in uproar with Natural England for refusing to allow the shooting of seagulls with just one landowner gaining permission despite hundreds of applications this year.

The culling of seagull species such as herring and lesser black-backed gulls are regarded as crucial to prevent them preying on nests of other endangered birds such as curlew and golden plover.

But according to rural organisations only one farmer has been given permission despite hundreds of requests for general licences this year.

And the conditions attached to that one application were so stringent, they are described as “risible.”

For example, the farmer, who wished to shoot seagulls to protect a hen harrier breeding site, was told gulls could not be shot if they were flying over a nest and that any shot had to be taken from a distance of 750 metres.

The row follows last year’s fury when Natural England banned farmers from shooting pest birds like crows and pigeons on their land unless they had obtained a separate licence for each species.

George Eustice, Environment Secretary, is now being urged to take control of all wildlife licensing inside DEFRA to end “the chaos” and “crisis” in the current Natural England system.

He was sent a joint report from the Moorland Association, the Countryside Alliance and the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation last week outlining serious concerns about their inability to control numbers of herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls which have devastated nests of rare birds, feeding on chicks and eggs, grouse and partridge, as well as attacking lambs and their mothers.

Experts at Natural England believe populations of these seagull species are in such decline that only 600 herring gulls and 900 lesser black-backed gulls can be killed under licence this year and priority will be given to those needing to shoot gulls for air safety or public health rather than for conservation of endangered birds.

This compares to approvals to kill 6,050 gulls of both species and destruction of 40,000 eggs last year.

But farmers and landowners are confused because according to latest figures from the Avian Population Estimates Panel there are 130,000 breeding pairs of herring gulls and 110,000 breeding pairs of lesser black-backed gulls, whereas there are just 58,500 breeding pairs of curlew and 41,500 breeding pairs of golden plover.

The report states: “The government’s own nature conservation agency has prioritized the protection of seaside chips over upland wader chicks and the rural community is at a loss to understand.

“Gulls have always been controlled in the countryside. It’s hard work but essential and people don’t go about it casually.

“On grouse moors, in particular, gulls feed on eggs and chicks almost in a frenzy… attracting other gulls and clearing an area of all its nests in short order – whether grouse, curlew, hen harrier, merlin or other ground-nesting birds.”

Natural England  said 713 individuals have applied to control herring gulls, and 487 for lesser  black-backed, of which 10 have been granted so far, with most refusals due to insufficient information about the local impact of the gulls on ground-nesting birds.

Marian Spain, NE chief executive, said both full species had declined significantly in recent years and were now considered at risk.

She added: “It’s essential that we do all we can to reverse this worrying trend. This means placing a limit on numbers that can be killed. We have prioritised culls to protect human health and safety over other reasons that lethal controls might be carried out.”

Farmer George Winn-Darley applied for a gull licence last December and only last week was refused a licence to kill seagulls to protect curlew, golden plover, green plover, merlin and ring ouzel on 13,000 acres of the North Yorkshire moors, near Whitby, because he had not supplied sufficient information about the problem.

He said: “These are red-listed conservation species that very threatened and diminishing due to the idiocy of the NE licensing system.

"They should be going to the extra mile to help these populations not frustrating the efforts of others going the extra mile.”

Tim Bonner, chief executive the Countryside Alliance, said NE’s wildlife licensing was “chaotic and unworkable” adding: “They have set an entirely arbitrary cap on the number of licences for gun control that can be issued across the country, which have been almost entirely filled by airports on health and safety grounds.

"Meanwhile, gulls decimate the nests of our most fragile species and we are powerless to help.

"The government agency that is charged with protecting our biodiversity is succeeding in doing exactly the opposite."