Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing guidance on ethical principles for licensing of wildlife management.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Wildlife conflicts are often minor and tolerable, especially if basic avoidance measures are employed. If the problem is significant enough to warrant action, options should be explored that avoid harmful impacts on the species concerned while still resolving the problem. In the first instance, legal non-lethal measures should be considered. Only if these fail, are impractical or deemed ineffective, should available legal lethal options be considered.

Many laws in England protect and regulate how wild animals may be controlled and anyone carrying out wildlife management must ensure that they comply with the law. Many organisations have published Codes of Practice to summarise the law, as well as including information on best practice. Natural England can also offer advice on how to comply with laws that protect wildlife and the natural environment.

The Government has no current plans to assess the merits of publishing guidance on ethical principles for licensing of wildlife management.