Killing birds, or destroying nests or eggs, to prevent agricultural damage
What to do if you believe wild birds are causing serious damage to agricultural crops.
Use non-lethal methods
You must try non-lethal methods to resolve your problem. You must do this before you consider carrying out actions under a general or specific licence.
Alternatives to lethally controlling wild birds.
Check the general licence
Check if you can use general licence 001: Licence for certain people to kill or take certain wild birds, or take or destroy their nests or eggs, for the purposes of preventing serious damage or spread of disease to:
- livestock
- foodstuffs for livestock
- crops
- vegetables
- fruit
You do not need to apply for a general licence.
You must read it fully and be able to comply with all of its conditions.
Apply for a licence
If you have tried non-lethal methods, and you cannot comply with all the conditions of the general licence, you must apply to us for a specific bird licence.
Who can apply
Information you must provide
- applicant name, address, and contact details
- names and contact details of people who will carry out the activity, if different from the applicant
- description of why you need the licence (500 words maximum)
- the months when the problem occurs
- address where the problem occurs, including OS reference and field numbers
- species of bird you want to kill
- number of each species you want to kill
- method you want to use - if you want to use baits or mist netting, we need evidence of your competence
- date(s) you want to carry out the activity
- which preventative measures you used to tackle the problem, when, and how effective they were
- how you will manage the problem in future
- date you want the licence to start
Providing evidence of the problem
You must upload photo or video evidence that the problems exist.
You can upload the following file types:
- x
- x
- x
- x
Each file can be up to 50MB. If your files are large, use a file resizer like xxx.
How long it takes for us to process an application
We will respond to you within 40 days of receiving a complete application.
How much it costs
We do not charge for this type of licence application.