Wild Justice welcomes consultation on greater protection for Woodcock and other protected species

It comes after a long-running review by Defra and Natural England which concluded that Defra should provide greater protection for some species of bird, including by extending the shooting close season.

Wild Justice has long campaigned for better protection for Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola). The species has been on the UK’s Birds of Conservation Concern ‘red list’ since 2015, with populations of British and Irish Woodcock in decline. It is estimated that up to 140,000 are shot annually during the open season.  

In 2022, Wild Justice wrote to former Environment Secretary George Eustice and former Northern Irish Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Edwin Poots, laying out the arguments for extending the dates of the closed season for Woodcock.  

Later that year, Wild Justice launched a petition calling for the open season to start on 1 December instead of 1 October (in England, Wales & Northern Ireland, or 1 September in Scotland).  

The petition gained 107,918 signatures, resulting in a Westminster Hall debate in February 2023 where Defra Minister Trudy Harrison announced that Defra had asked Natural England to evaluate the evidence for a change to the length of the shooting season.  

Whilst Wild Justice would prefer Woodcock not to be shot at all, the group says that the closed season should be extended to 1 December, reducing the period of time that Woodcock shooting is allowed.  

The group argues that due to continental Woodcock largely not arriving in the UK until October and November, Woodcock shooting in September and October disproportionately affects declining British and Irish populations of the species.  

In May 2025, Defra and Natural England confirmed that their review of species listed on Schedule 2 had been completed, concluding that greater protections should be provided for some species. The review put forward a number of recommended legislative changes, which include extending the closed season for Woodcock.  

After Defra failed to take any further steps, in November 2025 Wild Justice entered into pre-action correspondence with Defra proposing to challenge the lawfulness of the protracted delay in bringing forward these recommendations. Wild Justice highlighted that Defra’s delay to take steps to implement the recommendations threatened not only Woodcock but also other species which are supposed protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act including Goldeneye, Snipe and Pochard. In response, Defra provided Wild Justice with an assurance that a public consultation would be launched in Spring 2026. 

The public consultation opened by Defra today, 23 March 2026, includes proposals to extend the close season for Woodcock and Snipe in England and Scotland, as well as to extend the close season for Goldeneye and Pintail in Scotland. It also includes proposals to remove certain species such as Pochard from Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act altogether, meaning that they could not be shot lawfully at any time of the year. 

Wild Justice has welcomed the announcement of the consultation as a step towards better protection for Woodcock and other endangered bird species. The consultation remains open until 17 May 2026. 

Bob Elliot CEO of Wild Justice said: 

"The clock is running out for the Woodcock and other vulnerable species. We’ve known for years that these species are in decline. This consultation is welcome, but another shooting season has now started. We need decisive and urgent action to stop the declines continuing.” 

Leigh Day solicitors Tom Short and Carol Day represent Wild Justice. Tom Short said: 

“Our client welcomes Defra’s launch of its long-promised consultation on vital changes to the legislation scheme underpinning protections for some of the UK’s most endangered birds including Woodcock and Goldeneye. Many of these changes – including extending the close season to protect endangered birds from sport shooting – are common sense and could and should have been implemented long ago. For years vulnerable species like the Woodcock have continued to decline under outdated and inadequate protections. There is no justification for allowing shooting to continue in a way that disproportionately targets our threatened native birds.  

“Wild Justice hopes that now Defra has finally stirred into action on these issues, it will act with speed to consider the consultation results in May so that any changes can be made by Parliament as soon as possible, and at the latest before the start of the 2026 shooting season.”