Collection

General licences for wildlife management

Use a general licence for activities that carry a low risk to the conservation or welfare of a protected species.

• From: Natural England and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 1 January 2015
• Last updated: 12 May 2021 — See all updates

If you plan to act under the authority of a general licence, you must:

• be eligible to do so (see conditions of each licence)
• comply with the terms of the relevant licence and therefore the law

You should use a class licence for activities that need a specific skill or experience to avoid risk to the conservation or welfare of a protected species.

If a general licence or class licence does not cover your circumstance, you should apply for an individual licence. For more information on the licences available, see Wildlife licences: when you need to apply.

Birds

• Birds: licence to keep them in show cages for training (GL16)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Black-headed gulls: licence for retailers and restaurateurs to sell eggs (GL23)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Mallard ducks: licence to take eggs and rear and release chicks (GL13)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Mealy redpoll: licence to sell and exhibit ringed mealy redpoll (GL15)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Ruddy ducks: licence to kill or take them (GL21)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence for vets to rehabilitate certain species (GL08)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to keep certain species for rehabilitation (GL07)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to rear chicks of certain captive-bred species (GL11)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to remove abandoned or unsuccessful eggs (GL12)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to sell captive bred, live wild birds (GL18)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to sell dead wild birds (GL17)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to show captive bred birds competitively (GL14)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to kill or take for conservation purposes (GL40)
  • 1 January 2022
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to kill or take for public health or safety (GL41)
  • 1 January 2022
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds: licence to kill or take to prevent serious damage (GL42)
  • 3 March 2022
  • Statutory guidance

Mammals

• Bats: licence to take and possess live bats for rabies testing (GL25)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Bats: licence to transport and possess dead bats for rabies testing (GL03)
  • 5 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Red squirrels and pine martens: licence to sell dead specimens (GL20)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Shrews: licence to trap them (GL01)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Stoats: licence to trap them to conserve wild birds (GL38)
  • 1 June 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Stoats: licence to trap them to prevent serious damage to livestock (GL39)
  • 1 June 2023
  • Statutory guidance

Other

• Protected animals: licence for taxidermists to own dead animals (GL02)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds and animals: licence to possess samples (GL10)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance
• Wild birds and animals: licence to release certain schedule 9 species (GL22)
  • 1 January 2023
  • Statutory guidance

Published 1 January 2015
Last updated 12 May 2021 + show all updates

1. 12 May 2021

   Added GL43: licence to release common pheasants or red-legged partridges on European sites and within 500m of their boundary.

2. 5 January 2021

   Removed general licences that expired on 31 December 2020: GL34, GL35, GL36. Replaced with GL40, GL41, GL42 for the control of wild birds.

3. 31 March 2020

   We've added 2 new licences for trapping stoats: GL38 and GL39.

4. 1 March 2020

   Defra issues updated versions of GLs 26, 28, 31, 34, 35, 36, valid from 1 March 2020.

5. 14 June 2019

   New Defra general licences for wild birds, GL34, GL35 and GL36 added.

6. 26 April 2019

   Updated to include general licence (GL26) for carrion crows.

7. 25 April 2019

   Added 'Wild birds: licence to control certain species'. Removed licences GL04, GL05 and GL06.

8. 23 April 2019

   Notice that GL04, GL05 and GL06 will be revoked on 25 April.

9. 1 January 2016

   Page updated for new licences issued 1 January 2016.

10. 1 January 2015

    First published.