The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Regulations 2016
Enters into force: 6 April 2016
Wildlife - England and Wales
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 broadens the statutory defence to the offence of being in possession or control of a wild bird’s egg (or any part of an egg). A person will not be guilty if they can show the egg was taken before the offence came into force. This reinstates the legal position before 2004, when the exemption was narrowed so that wild birds and their eggs were treated the same. The effect of the amendment is to revert back to this pre-2004 position.
