Stoats: licence to trap them to prevent serious damage to livestock (GL39)
Get a general licence to trap stoats to prevent serious damage to vulnerable livestock.
Applies to England
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You can use this general licence if you’re a farmer or keeper of vulnerable livestock, or any person authorised by them.
Use this licence to prevent serious damage to the following livestock which are vulnerable to predation by stoats:
- domestic poultry and waterfowl
- game birds and wildfowl while held captive within a fenced pen
- rabbits farmed for food
This licence allows you to trap stoats using traps certified for use against stoat in England.
You do not need to apply for this general licence but you must comply with its terms and conditions.
When you must apply for an individual licence
You must apply to Natural England for an individual licence if you need to carry out activities that are not permitted by this licence.
Humane trapping guidance
Badgers, beavers, otters, pine martens and stoats: how to trap humanely.
Avian influenza (bird flu)
Avian influenza (bird flu) is a notifiable animal disease. You should use the online service to report dead wild birds if you find:
- 1 or more dead birds of prey (such as an owl, hawk or buzzard)
- 3 or more dead birds that include at least 1 gull, swan, goose or duck
- 5 or more dead wild birds of any species
Last updated 1 January 2024 + show all updates
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There is an update to this licence for 1 January 2024.
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Added the ‘Quill trap’ to the list of permitted traps under licence condition 5. Added the ‘Spring Traps Approval (Variation) (England) Order 2023’ to condition 8a(i).
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Annual licence update, valid from 1 January 2023.
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Annual licence update, valid from 1 January 2022.
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Perdix spring trap has been added to the list of permitted use of traps under this licence.
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Annual licence update.
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Accessible version of licence added - HTML.
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First published.