Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to catch and control magpies and hooded crows.

George Eustice

Defra is not taking action to catch or control magpies or hooded crows.

Like all wild birds in Great Britain, magpies and hooded crows are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Within England, general licences are issued by Natural England permitting users to kill or take magpies for a range of purposes, such as the protection of public health and safety. These may be relied upon by landowners and other authorised persons as long as they are satisfied they have met the conditions of the licence.

In the UK, the hooded crow is found primarily in Scotland and Northern Ireland and is not normally resident in England. As nature conservation is a devolved matter, the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland and the Scottish Government should be approached regarding their wildlife legislation and policy for the control of magpies and hooded crows.