Following on from the recent publicity about Scottish landowners demanding licences to kill protected birds of prey (see here and here), last week Elaine Murray MSP (Labour: Dumfriesshire) kicked off the new parliamentary session with the following question:
“To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains its position that ‘the balance of public interest [is] not at present in favour of issuing licences for the control of birds of prey to protect non-native reared game birds’ as stated by the Minister for Environment at the meeting of the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee on 3 November 2010 (Official Report c. 3330“. (Written question SW4-00007)
Roseanna Cunningham MSP gave a succint, one word answer: “Yes“.
Meanwhile, Alex Hogg (Chairman of the SGA) continues with the ridiculous argument that buzzards are “decimating all our wildlife“. He was talking to a BBC Scotland film crew at the time, for a forthcoming edition of Landward. I’m sure we’ll all look forward to watching that and listening to the scientific evidence that Alex puts forward to back up his claim: http://www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk/content/19th-may
Raptor Persecution UK 
At least the politicians are standing firm on this. As to “dear” Alex’s comments on decimation of “our” wildlife, whilst one would not accuse him of anything illegal personally, it is nonetheless clear that the only decimation taking place is of, native predators, whether protected or not to protect none native pheasants redlegs and native grouse, of course in my opinion totally immoral.
I really cant understand how any sane or sensible person can be taken in by such comments as buzzards are decimating our countryside when all over Scotland they are having record counts of grouse being killed. Oh well i suppose you will believe what you want to believe.