Outcry prompts U-turn over killing wild birds to protect game birds in England
Crows across the land can roost safe in the realisation that the target has been taken off their backs – without wanting to sound flippant this is another story which demonstrates just how divided rural England is as a place in terms of the opinions of the general public.
The government has U-turned on guidance to shooters that reclassified pheasants as livestock, meaning that wild birds such as crows could be shot to protect them in certain circumstances, after a furious reaction from the public.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs changed the definition of livestock in its general shooting licences earlier this year. Under the new definition, game birds such as pheasants were considered livestock if given food, water or shelter by a keeper for their survival.
That meant that wild birds including carrion crows, jackdaws, rooks and magpies could be shot to protect them. General licences give broad permissions to shoot certain species of wild birds to protect livestock, help conservation and preserve public health and safety.