Natural England moves gamebird release reporting online

Paper forms scrapped in digital shift

Natural England has scrapped paper-based wildlife licensing forms in favour of an online system, meaning keepers no longer need to rely on printing and posting PDFs.

While the option remains to submit information by email, the new digital forms are designed to offer a smoother process for everyone whilst eliminating the potential for errors that can occur with paper-based systems.

The change is part of a wider Defra push to end reliance on paper forms across government. An audit found the department was handling 579 different paper forms covering around 14 million transactions a year.

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GL43 users reminded to report

All wildlife licences are affected, including General Licence GL43, which allows gamebird releases on or within 500 metres of Special Areas of Conservation. Anyone using GL43 must report their gamebird releases to Natural England within a month, including details of species released, location, numbers and dates.

In an email to stakeholders on 27 October, Natural England confirmed the reporting requirements themselves have not changed. The link on the GL43 webpage now directs users to the new Defra form.

Natural England has set a deadline of 15 November for those who have not yet reported their releases, even if this is more than a month after the release date, saying it is important to have a full view of activities undertaken under the general licence.

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Industry welcomes change but stresses compliance

John Clarke from the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation welcomed the new online form, saying digitalisation “will certainly make it easier for keepers to report gamebird releases”.

Other industry representatives have stressed the importance of reporting gamebird releases and have renewed calls for keepers to comply.

BASC’s Glynn Evans said: “Completing this reporting requirement is vital not only to ensure legal compliance, but also to show Natural England and others the scale and importance of this licence in enabling gamebird release in these areas.”

Dominic Boulton, who advises the Game Farmers’ Association, said poor reporting might explain why Natural England underestimated how many shoots would be hit by its bird flu restrictions in 2023 and 2025.

“If the new reporting process makes it easier for licence users to be compliant with the reporting requirement then this is a positive step,” he said. “Only by reporting in this way will Natural England come to understand the huge impact their actions are having on our community.”

Mr Boulton warned: “Non-compliance does irreparable reputational damage to the sector. If we ignore our responsibilities under the licensing system then how can we claim the moral high ground?”

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