§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the inclusion of cormorants in the issue of licences to kill. [188961]
§ Mr. BradshawAll wild birds, including the cormorant are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which implements the EC Wild Birds Directive in Great Britain. Licences can be issued under Section 16 of the 1981 Act to kill or take certain birds for specific reasons, either on an individual or general basis. Licences can be granted to kill or take cormorants where it can be shown that such action will prevent serous damage to fisheries or inland waters. These licences are issued on an individual basis.
The general licences allow authorised persons, such as landowners or occupiers, to kill or take these pest birds, such as pigeon, and corvids, as well as to destroy nests and oil or prick eggs of these birds all year round, subject to specified conditions. Bird species considered for placing on a general licence are those which are considered a pest and numbers are plentiful such as pigeons. Although number of cormorants have increased, the estimated GB population size of 23,000 with an England population of just over 11,000 is not sufficient to warrant a general cull without leading to local extinctions and impacts on biodiversity.
I announced on 16 September new measures to deal with the conflicts between cormorants and the fishing community. This does not include the inclusion of the cormorant onto a general licence.