Non Native Species - General Licence GL-NNS - To release non-native species outwith its native range

General Licence GL-NNS - To release certain non-native species outwith their native range for use in the control of crop pests and diseases

General Licences allow authorised people to carry out activities that would otherwise be illegal under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).

General Licence GL/NNS permits the use of certain biological control agents in ‘approved products’ that can be clearly demonstrated to pose no significant threat to native species and the environment.

Terms and conditions

If you operate under General Licence GL/NNS you must meet the following terms and conditions otherwise your actions may be illegal which could lead to prosecution.

What can this General Licence be used for?

Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) makes it an offence to release a non-native species, or to allow it to escape into the wild in Scotland. This licence is granted by NatureScot under Section 16(4)(c) of the Act to permit users of approved species and products listed under this licence to release non-native species for the control of crop pests and diseases in Scotland.

Is an application required to use this General Licence?

Producers who wish to supply products for use in the control of crop pests and diseases which would eventually lead to the release of non-native species in Scotland can apply for their product to be registered as an approved product by completing an application form. This application form is only required if the species applied for is not listed under Annex 1 of approved species for release in Scotland.

Users of the approved species or products registered under this licence in Annex 1 or 2 do not need to apply to use this licence.

Who is authorised to use this General Licence?

Users of approved products listed under this licence.

What is an approved species?

An approved species is a species listed in the table in Annex 1 of this licence. Approved species have been assessed to ensure that they pose no significant threat to native species and the environment. No approval or application is required by any producer for any species listed in Annex 1. Only the approved species listed in Annex 1 can be used under this licence.

What is an approved product?

An approved product is a product listed in the table in Annex 2 of this licence and developed by the producer named in that table. Approved products have been assessed to ensure that they pose no significant threat to native species and the environment. Only the approved products listed in Annex 2 can be used under this Licence.

When and where is this General Licence valid?

Across Scotland from the date added for each species or product to the date removed (if applicable).

Is there a reporting requirement for users of this General Licence?

For Annex 1 Species

Producers of products utilising species listed under Annex 1 of this licence must provide annual returns to NatureScot to confirm that no known changes to the ecology or biology of the organisms have occurred.

For Annex 2 Products

It is a requirement that producers of approved products must provide NatureScot licensing team with an annual licence return which must be submitted before 31 January each year. The return must include:

1. The number of units, and quantity and volume of each unit of the approved product sold or supplied;

2. State whether you wish your product to remain on Annex 2, if there are any changes to the information provided in your application form and if so, what these changes are. This should include whether release under the previous licence led to any new information or relevant development, and whether any information has been published about the organism since your application. If there are no changes to the information supplied in your application please also provide confirmation of this.

For both Annexes

Please send this information (including your company name and product name in the subject line of the email) to: [email protected]. Failure to provide a licence return could mean your species or product will be removed from the Annexes.

Notes

1. This licence only exempts the relevant legal provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended.

2. This licence is granted subject to compliance with the conditions as specified. Anything done otherwise than in accordance with the terms of this licence may constitute an offence.

3. This licence may be modified or revoked at any time by NatureScot.

4. These approvals are only for the safe release of the species into the wild. NatureScot are not liable for any damage which occurs due to the use of these products. 

Annex 1 - Table of Approved Species

Species	Date added	Date removed
Amblydromalus limonicus	18/03/2019	-
Amblyseius andersoni	10/03/2021	-
Amblyseius montdorensis	18/03/2019	-
Amblyseius swirksii	18/03/2019	-
Aphelinus abdominalis	09/02/2021	-
Aphidius matricariae	19/02/2021	-
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri	18/03/2019	-
Delphastus catalinae	10/03/2021	-
Encarsia citrina	10/02/2022	-
Encarsia formosa	18/03/2019	-
Ephedrus cerasicola	09/02/2021	-
Eretmocerus eremicus	18/03/2019	-
Feltiella acarisuga	10/02/2021	-
Heterorhabditis bacteriophora	18/03/2019	-
Macrocheles robustulus	19/02/2021	-
Macrolophus pygmaeus	18/03/2019	-
Micromus angulatus	03/05/2022	-
Orius laevigatus	09/02/2021	-
Phytoseiulus persimilis	18/03/2019	-
Praon volucre	09/02/2021	-
Rhizophagus grandis	18/03/2019	-
Rhyzobius lophanthae	08/03/2024
Steinernema carpocapsae	18/03/2019	-
Stenopelmus rufinasus	15/05/2019	-
Stratiolaelaps scimitus	19/02/2021	-
Transeius montdorensis	18/03/2019	-
Steinernema feltiae	06/02/2024	-

 

Annex 2 - Table of Approved Products

Product	Species	Producer	Date added	Date removed
Supernemos	Steinernema feltiae (along with  Steinernema capocapsae and  Heterohabditis bacteriophora)	Nemos Horticultural Ltd	04 July 2019	-
Hypoline	Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis  miles)	Bioline AgroSciences Ltd	19 August 2019	-
Oriline L	Orius laevigatus	Bioline AgroSciences Ltd	19 August 2019	-
Amblyline	Neoseiulus cucumeris (Amblyseius  cucumeris)	Bioline AgroSciences Ltd	19 August 2019	-
Aphiline	Aphidius colemani (Viereck)	Bioline AgroSciences Ltd	19 August 2019	-
Nemaslug 2.0	Phasmarhabditis californica	BASF plc	21 April 2020	-
Harmonix Tri-Nema	Steinernema feltiae (along with  Steinernema capocapsae and  Heterohabditis bacteriophora)	Bayer CropScience Limited	18 May 2020	-
Aprostocetus - Periplan	Aprostocetus hagenowii	Koppert UK Ltd	21 August 2020	-
Entonem	Steinernema feltiae	Koppert UK Ltd	07 October 2020	-
Capirel	Steinernema feltiae	Koppert UK Ltd	14 January 2021	-
Exhibitline SF* - Mamaterra - Natural Pest Control - Nematode (SF)	Steinernema feltiae	Bioline Agrosciences Ltd	06 February 2023	-
Mamaterra - Natural Pest Control – Nematode (SF+SC)	Steinernema feltiae and Steinernema carpocapse	Bioline Agrosciences Ltd	06 February 2023	-
Rhyzobug	Rhyzobius lophanthae	Koppert UK Ltd	08 March 2024

Published: March 2024

Contact