Gamebirds: individual licences to release common pheasants or red-legged partridges (A10 and A48)

Licences to release gamebirds

You must not release gamebirds into the wild on a special protection area (SPA) or special area of conservation (SAC), or within 500 metres (m) of their boundaries (known as the buffer zone), except under a licence. Use MAGIC Maps to find out whether the site where you want to release gamebirds is within an SPA or SAC, or their buffer zone. You should select ‘accept all cookies’ and ‘get started’ on the webpage if the layers are not loading, and then reopen MAGIC maps.

You should first read the guidance, Gamebirds: licences to release them, which explains:

• when you need a licence to release gamebirds
• whether your release can be authorised under general licence GL43 instead of an individual licence
• additional requirements for consent for releasing gamebirds and undertaking related but non-licensable gamebird management activities on a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
• how to check the location of your gamebird release site
• how to calculate your release density

When you need an individual licence

If an area is both a SPA and a SAC (or within their buffer zones), follow the guidance for SPAs.

Special protection areas (SPAs)

If you want to release gamebirds on a SPA in England or within 500m of its boundary, you’ll need an A48 individual licence. Before applying, use the lists below to check whether Natural England is likely to approve your application.

Special areas of conservation (SACs)

If you want to release gamebirds on a SAC in England or within 500m of its boundary, you may be able to use general licence GL43. If you cannot use general licence GL43 or comply with its conditions, you will need an A10 individual licence.

Natural England may include or amend conditions from the general licence in an individual licence. For example, they may require lower release densities or delayed releases.

Check the licensing decision we’re likely to make in your area

The following lists identify the likely individual licensing outcomes for proposed gamebird releases on or within 500m of SPAs in 2025.2026.

These lists indicate the likely outcome of a licence application made for a particular SPA. It does not prejudge Natural England’s decision, and any application will be assessed on its merits.

You should try to make suitable adjustments to your business arrangements depending on the likely licensing outcome. Anyone ordering gamebirds for release on European sites or their buffer zone before they have licensed authority to release, does so at their own risk.

There are 3 categories of SPAs, where applications are:

1. likely to be successful with standard mitigation
2. likely to be successful with delayed release
3. not likely to be successful – gamebird release is highly unlikely to be permitted for the coming season

SPAs where applications are likely to be successful with standard mitigation

• Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay

SPAs where applications are likely to be successful with delayed release

The list below shows the SPA name, with the likely delayed release date in brackets. Natural England may vary this date in the conditions of an individual licence.

• Ashdown Forest (1 September)
• Breckland (1 October)
• East Devon Heaths (1 September)
• Great Yarmouth North Denes (1 October)
• Greater Wash (1 October)
• North York Moors (1 September)
• Northumberland Marine (1 October)
• Outer Thames Estuary (1 October)
• Peak District Moors (South Pennine Moors Phase 1) (1 September)
• Porton Down (1 October)
• Sandlings (1 September)
• Solent and Dorset Coast (1 October)
• South Pennine Moors Phase 2 (1 September)
• Thames Basin Heaths (1 October)
• Thorne and Hatfield Moors (1 September)
• Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons (Wealden Heaths Phase 1) (1 September)
• Wealden Heaths Phase 2 (1 September)

If a licence is issued with a ‘delayed release date’, this is the likely date after which gamebirds can be released. The delayed release approach is designed to limit the interaction between gamebirds and breeding SPA birds. It does this by timing releases to only take place once these SPA birds have left the site. This helps to minimise the potential for significant transmission of bird flu (avian influenza) to SPA bird populations. This is because bird flu can be transmitted:

• directly, through contact between gamebirds and a SPA’s protected features
• indirectly, through gamebirds and the protected features coming into contact with contaminated surfaces
• through bridging species that come into contact with both gamebirds and other protected features

Natural England recognises that delayed release dates may not be practical for all gamebird managers. If it is not possible for you to adhere to a specified delayed release date, it is likely that your application will be refused.

SPAs where gamebird release is highly unlikely to be permitted

Any SPAs not listed above would only be permitted for gamebird release in the coming season if there are exceptional circumstances that could reduce or avoid the risk of bird flu transmission.

Natural England does not recommend speculative applications for SPAs where licensing is highly unlikely.

How Natural England produced these lists

The approach to individual licensing and the likely individual licensing outcomes have been significantly influenced by the worldwide outbreak of the most serious strain of bird flu.flu, Incalled mid-2025highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Throughout 2025 and into 2026 the risk of transmission of birdHPAI flu to wild birds in Great Britain wascontinues to be categorised atas the‘high’ highest(occurs level.very often) or ‘very high’ (event occurs almost certainly).

These lists are the product of Natural England’s detailed habitats regulations assessment (HRA). This HRA has considered the likelihood that HPAI risk will remain very high, or, if it drops to a lower level, will return to very high during the 2026 to 2027 gamebird releasing and shooting season. It has also considered a range of potential measures for each SPA to mitigate the transmission of bird flu between gamebirds and wild bird populations.

Applying for an individual licence

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  If you use the online application form, you will be sent an acknowledgement email and an application reference number. You should attachonly yourcomplete supplementary information and supporting documents when you reply to this email.

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  Any delayApply tofor submittingan supplementaryindividual informationlicence after you apply could significantly increase the time it takes us to processrelease yourgamebirds application.on Toor ensurenear timelya decisionEuropean making,site we will not be requesting further information from applicants.

  We do not recommend delaying your application in the hope that the bird flu situation might improve. It is highly unlikely to make any difference to the licensing outcome. The bird flu risk in wild birds has been assessed as ‘high’ (occurs very often) or ‘very high’ (event occurs almost certainly) since DecemberOctober 2024. It is unrealistic to speculate that this situation will improve significantly when gamebirds are normally released.

  Applications for SPAs where gamebird release is highly unlikely to be permitted for the coming season

  Natural England discourages the submission of applications for release on or within 500m of SPAs where licensing is highly unlikely.

  If you are applying for any of these SPAs and are relying on exceptional circumstances, you should clearly set these out in your application form in the relevant section. Natural England will review any information provided as part of your application.

  You must be able to comply with any actions you offer to take. If we approve your application, these actions could become mandatory conditions of your licence, and officers of Natural England may carry out compliance checks.

  Getting a decision on your application

  Natural England will aim to make a decision within 1530 working days. If we need to ask you for more information the decision will take longer.

  Natural England will complete an initial review of your application to check that:

  • you have appliedsubmitted a report of action for theany correctprevious gamebird release licence
  • all required information is included and readable
  • pen location references meet the specifications in the application form
  • release densities are consistent with the general licences
  • you have accepted the declaration

  We will confirm that we have received your application after reviewing it against these criteria. If you fail to meet these criteria, we will contact you by email and give you 5 working days to improveprovide the application.information.

  We will then fully review your application, assessing whether there is enough evidence that your release will not have an adverse effect on the SAC or SPA. To do this, we will review your application and complete a habitats regulations assessment (HRA).

  In making this assessment, Natural England considers the direct impacts of the activity, which is the proposed gamebirdrelease release,of gamebirds into the environment, and mitigation measures directly aimed at avoiding or reducing harmful effects, such as enhanced biosecurity or delayed release.

  Natural England recognises that there is some evidence of conservation benefits from management activities associated with gamebirds, including predator and habitat management. However, the potential benefits of these associated activities cannot be considered to directly reduce or avoid the risk from bird flu to protected site features, and therefore cannot be considered within an HRA.

  Natural England will let you know by email the outcome of your application. If it is:

  • approved, your licence will be attached to the email
  • refused, the email will explain the decision

  Report actions taken under the licence

  Within 14 days of the licence expiring, you must report in a licence return form any actions that are taken under the licence. 

  Before you begin to complete the form you should know or have ready, for each site: 

  • details of which species you released 
  • where the release site is located 
  • the total number of each species released 
  • the size of the release pen 
  • when the release started and finished

  Report your actions

  Get help

  Contact gamebirds@naturalengland.org.uk if you have any questions about:

  • the individual licence for releases on SPAs and their buffer zones
  • the individual licence for releases on SACs and their buffer zones
  • the online licence application or reporting forms
  • the gamebird release report form
  • all gamebird licences, such as which licence you can use