BASC NI has recently launched a petition calling on the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to amend General Licences to allow the shooting of pest birds on Sundays.
Currently, the General Licences allow authorised persons to kill or take pest birds in order to conserve wild birds, preserve public health or public safety or prevent the spread of disease and serious damage to crops.
It is legal to shoot pest birds in GB and in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) on a Sunday. However, it is illegal to kill or take pest birds in Northern Ireland on a Sunday as the General Licences do not apply on Sundays or at night. Our proposal, if implemented, will bring NI into line with the rest of the United Kingdom and the RoI.
BASC’s petition has been placed with a number of firearms dealers throughout NI.
We urge anyone with an interest in shooting and conservation to sign the petition which is held at the following firearms dealers’ premises:
C A Anderson, Omagh
Norman Harpur, Maguiresbridge
Home, Field and Stream, Enniskillen
River Mourne Guns and Tackle, Strabane
Bridge Guns and Tackle, Strabane
Smyth’s Country Sports, Coleraine
H Burke and Son, Coleraine
Outdoor and Country Sports, Coleraine
Lavin Guns, Cloughmills
Field and Stream, Moy
Tannyoky Guns and Ammo, Poyntzpass
Hollow Farm Shooting Ground, Comber
Maryland Country Sports, Crossnagreevy, Belfast
Fernvale Country Sports, Kells
SL Sports, Ringsend, Garvagh
TRG Glass, Ballymena
C F Beattie, Ballycarry, Carrickfergus.
Foymore Lodge, Portadown.
Firefly, Newtownards.
Country Sports, Newtownards.
BASC would like to thank John Wray, of the Facebook group Shooting NI, for initially raising this issue with us.