Outcry prompts U-turn over killing wild birds to protect game birds in England

Defra’s new guidance had classified game birds such as pheasants as livestock if given food, water or shelter by a gamekeeper for their survival. Photograph: Major Wildlife/Alamy

The government has U-turned on guidance to shooters that reclassified pheasants as livestock, meaning that wild birds such as crows could be shot to protect them in certain circumstances, after a furious reaction from the public.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs changed the definition of livestock in its general shooting licences earlier this year. Under the new definition, game birds such as pheasants were considered livestock if given food, water or shelter by a keeper for their survival.