Friday found me watching a computer screen from 10:30am to 4:30pm to watch the Wild Justice challenge to the lawfulness of Natural Resources Wales’s general licences. In theory this was in court in Cardiff but I am not sure that anyone was in Cardiff. There were many attendees from ourselves (the Claimant), NRW (the Defendant)…
Category: SHOOTERS
Today…
Today the Wild Justice challenge of the Welsh general licences is held online in front of His Honour Judge Jarman QC. The great advantages of online attendance of court is that one can shout at the screen, the seats are more comfortable and one can munch biscuits all the time.
What sort of Environment Act do shooting Tories want?
Well how would I know? Well apart from Tim Bonner’s oft-mentioned dislike of the European legislation, such as the Habitats Directive (drafted by arch-lefty Stanley Johnson, remember)(see here and here) and maybe from keeping an eye on what they do… Here are three examples from two shooters, both of whom spoke in the 2016 Westminster…
News: English general licences, for 2021, published – and they are different
DEFRA has just published the general licences for England for 2021 (helpfully alongside the existing licences which expire on 31 December 2020 so that one can compare and contrast). Click here for ‘conservation’ licences. Click here for serious damage licences. Click here for safety licences. I’m reading them, as are the Wild Justice lawyers.
Driven shooting ceases for a month in England
BASC is quite often ridiculous, but their guidance on shooting and explanation of what Lockdown2 means for shooting is quite clear and really very sensible (although if readers can spot exceptions to that then comment away here!). Driven shooting is off (and the grouse shooting season ends on 9 December anyway) but rough shooting and…
I’ll be on Today programme after 0840 this morning with the lovely Tim Bonner
A week tomorrow
A week tomorrow the Wild Justice judicial review of the legality of releasing tens of millions of non-native gamebirds, without ensuring that those releases will not damage sites of conservation importance, will take place. The legal arguments are best left to lawyers but the science is open to anyone to inspect and comment upon. Here…
New General Licences coming soon?
Last year DEFRA carried out a consultation on general licences in England – this was forced by the successful Wild Justice legal challenge of the Natural England general licences. Over 4,000 responses were received , which is quite a lot, but not so many as to justify such a long wait for any decisions from…
A walk in Nidderdale
It’s difficult to imagine why this land in Nidderdale might be closed on these days during the grouse shooting season – but the closure does not affect the rights of way. A land owner can restrict public access for 28 days/year without having to give any reason – this seems perfectly fair to me. There…
When will the shooting industry get the message?
Following The Times‘s support for the RSPB’s moderate shuffle forward on gamebirds along comes The Guardian too. Maybe less surprising that the Guardian thinks that greater regulation is all very sensible – but they are right. Some quotes: Since some of the damage to wildlife associated with the dramatic recent intensification of shooting is widely…