THE Government has been condemned for its "arrogant and off-hand" action in changing the rules on bird pest controls without any consultation.

The new laws, affecting far-mers, landowners and gamekeepers, took effect on Tuesday, without any announcement.

Dorothy Fairburn, Yorkshire regional director of the Country Land and Business Association, condemned the move as "an arrogant and off-hand approach to an important rural issue".

"These new rules are fundamentally flawed," said Miss Fairburn, "and there is something rather furtive about changing the regulations overnight without public announcement or proper consultation with those most affected.

"It is an absolutely incredible and unmanageable piece of bureaucracy that represents yet another swipe at the farming community."

Miss Fairburn said the changes effectively outlawed shooting woodpigeons, traditionally done at this time of year to protect crops.

"Under the new rules, farmers would apparently have to demonstrate that they had considered all alternative means of controlling pest species - which includes crows, rooks, seagulls and pigeons - before shooting them," said Miss Fairburn.

In April 2004 Defra issued what it termed a "pre-consultation" document regarding the Review of the General Licences to Kill or Take Certain Species of Birds, under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

This preliminary document proposed putting the burden of proof on the individual licence-holder to show that other control methods, such as scaring, were impracticable before they used lethal control methods.

At the time, the CLA led the storm of protest claiming that the proposal went well beyond what was required by the EU Birds Directive and, in the field, would be completely impractical and incompatible with conventional and established land management practices.

"Defra has not offered any justification for the significant changes to the licences. We want an immediate extension to the present licences and we want that to be followed by proper consultation which might lead to a more reasoned and reasonable approach to this issue," said Miss Fairburn.

The CLA, backed by the National Gamekeepers' Organisation, the Game Conservancy Trust, the Moorland Association and the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, has written to Defra Minister Ben Bradshaw MP asking him to take immediate action.