Natural England: Gamebird Release Licensing

Lord Roborough Excerpts

Tuesday 21st July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

As I mentioned earlier, the report carried out by Dan Corry looked specifically at all the arm’s-length bodies in Defra—and there are a lot of them—to see whether the work they are doing was efficient and necessary and whether we could work more effectively and efficiently by reviewing the way they operate.

[Lord Roborough (Con)]

My Lords, the highly critical judgment against Natural England in this court case is the latest in a long list of failures: Ebbsfleet jumping spiders, fish discos, bat tunnels, pony culls and, even as we sit in this Chamber today, dangerous wildfires in upland areas following Natural England policy. Will this Government, under their new leadership, ensure that Natural England follows science, not prejudice, and focuses on delivering the best outcomes for nature and for our economy? I declare my interests as a farmer, landowner, developer and sporting rights owner.

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

First, we have not been culling ponies. A lot was written about that, but I am not aware of any ponies that were culled or that are going to be culled. The Dartmoor pony is an important species in that part of the country. As for the other issues, we will obviously be looking at the judgment and analysing it, and we will respond to it in due course.