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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential (a) economic and (b) employment impact of Natural England’s current approach to licensing gamebird releases in Special Protected Areas.

A post-implementation review was conducted in 2024. It recommended that the Order should remain in force. This is until Defra can conclude that unregulated gamebird release does not have a significant effect on the conservation objectives of a European site. Alternatively, it would remain in force until viable options for monitoring and regulating gamebird release are identified.