Gamebirds: licence to release common pheasants or red-legged partridges on specified special protection areas or within 500m of their boundary (GL45)
As a landowner, occupier or authorised person, use this general licence to release common pheasants or red-legged partridges on specified special protection areas or within their 500-metre buffer zones.
Applies to England
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Details
This licence expired on 1 February 2025. It will not be re-issued in 2025, as it is currently not possible to rule out the risk (which remains very high) of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) spreading to the bird features present on special protection areas (SPAs).
Natural England has opened a new individual licensing scheme for gamebird releases on or within 500 metres of a special area of conservation (SAC) or special protection area (SPA). For further information about the scheme, including likely licensing outcomes and how to apply, email gamebirds@naturalengland.org.uk.
This general licence allows you to release common pheasants or red-legged partridges on specified special protection areas (SPAs) or within their 500-metre buffer zones.
This licence was modified on 7 June 2024 and replaced the version published on 22 March 2024.
You do not need to apply or register to use this licence, but you must meet its conditions.
Read the guidance on licences to release gamebirds to check which licence you need for your release.
If you need help, email glenquiries@defra.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
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This licence will not be issued in 2025, as it is currently not possible to rule out the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza spreading to the bird features present on special protection areas (SPAs).
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Additional SPAs have been added to GL45 licence as listed in Annex 1. In the ‘where you can use this licence’ section, a link to ‘guidance on licences to release gamebirds’ has been added. Release activity should now be reported using the linked online reporting form, instructions for this have been updated in ‘condition 3 – report release activity’. In ‘condition 4 – testing for red-legged partridges’, mixing has been defined as beak-to-beak contact. Specific conditions for Peak District Moors SPA and The Wash SPA have been removed. A specific condition for Northumberland Marine SPA has been added. These changes are in ‘condition 7 – SPA specific conditions’. In ‘information and advice specific to this licence' the wording of paragraph 7 has been updated for clarity.
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First published.