General Licence 43 only increases SAC confusion 

GL43, the General Licence that allows an authorised person to release common pheasants and red-legged partridges on Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), or within 500m of their boundary, was published on Friday, 2 May.

The new GL does not cover the release of pheasants or redlegs on SACs, or within the buffer zone of a SAC, if the site is also designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) or is within its buffer zone.

GL43 is now valid in England until 1 February 2027. It is not necessary to apply or register to use this licence, but all those releasing gamebirds into the wild must follow all conditions of the licence. These include the release densities of common pheasants and partridges permitted both within SACs and within the 500m buffer zone of a SAC boundary.

If releasing 50 or more pheasants or redlegs partridges within a SAC or its buffer zone, there is also a requirement to report the total number and species of gamebird being released, the density – birds per hectare – and a six-figure grid reference of the release site.

The licence includes a new condition (Condition 4) and relates best practice advice for biosecurity measures. GL43 can be found at bit.ly/sacgl43