Serial raptor persecution denier Doug McAdam is to stand down as CEO of Scottish Land & Estates, according to a statement on SLE website (here).
[Update 16.30hrs: apparently he’s already gone! That was a bit abrupt!]
We’ll miss his persistent and unsupported claims that raptor persecution is in decline, that grouse moor management is great for biodiversity, that raptors thrive on driven grouse moors, that grouse moor owners love golden eagles, that grouse moor owners love hen harriers, that grouse moor owners love all raptors, and that mountain hares are managed ‘sustainably’ on driven grouse moors.
We’ll miss the repeated calls for licences to ‘manage’ raptors, the letters of complaint about the RSPB, the letters of complaint about the BBC, and the letters of complaint that raptor persecution gets too much media attention.
Delusional to the end, we had to laugh at this quote in the SLE press statement:
“I am very proud of the progress we have made under my watch. We are now seen as a progressive, evidence-led organisation“.
We’re guessing his leaving gift won’t be gold-framed prints of these two pie charts produced by RSPB Scotland in 2015:
Raptor Persecution UK 
don’t hold yer breath……….
But I will happily contribute if you wish to present such a gift as a reminder of his lack of progress in the quagmire that is raptor persecution in Scotland …….
Good to see someone like that go, but, where will he go next? And who replaces him?
I love a nice pie and these two are my new favourites. As mentioned above, though, who’s next?
Did he jump, or was he pushed? … after all, under his watch the Evidence Session at the Scottish Parliament took place to discuss the Petition to introduce Gamebird Hunting Licensing!
Is this a ploy to put before the Scottish Parliament, don’t implement changes yet until our new bod whom you will have to work with has bedded in? A stalling tactic while the ‘keeper’s redouble their effort to wipe clean of the moors anything except the willow ptarmigan before any controls can come in?
In a normal world it is pretty rare for someone moving on from 10 years in a senior position to choose to write their own eulogy. Maybe there’s a hint here!
This is probably not good news. You’d got quite good at anticipating his lunacy and debunking him, too genned up on his methods and claims, it worries me as to what and who will be replacing him and what fresh new tack they’ll be taking. It is going to be a bumpy few months until we can manage to counter the new bod properly. Glad he’s gone, don’t get me wrong, but what fresh head of the hydra will be replacing him is the worry.
…….but on the other hand it would greatly help our cause if he could be replaced by somebody of the same calibre.
Aren’t they cloned? Could have fooled me.
See the point but let’s face it, this is a ‘hard to fill’ appointment. Few with any ability will apply and if someone does they won’t be appointed for fear of upsetting the apple cart. So it’ll be a second-rater and continuity bluster, fake news etc. Their website suggests possibly a change of management structure. I think we’re most likely to see a PR kind of person get the senior post, whether or not styled ‘CEO’.
Although an optimist, given the massive increase in UK raptors [ largely outwith grouse moors of course ] that has occurred during my half Century of active involvement in raptor conservation, the future looks bleak to me in the medium term.
A clearout of his ilk is taking place when we [ raptor protectors in the UK ] will soon be dealing with life outside the EU wildlife legislation framework in an environment where the driven grouse industry will be even more desperately unsustainable with massive bag sizes expected.
As I have previously noted, things are likely to get much worse before they get better.
The current projection for raptor numbers on grouse moors is frightening indeed as intensity of management will ramp up, criminality in the face of raptor range expansion will worsen & commitment to bring criminals to justice is nonexistant.
As ever it will be up to us to push the agenda forward, pressuring the authorities to act & using evidence from covert technology such as tagging to prove the level of criminality.
Eventually we will win but watch this space re support for the landowning & managing base of this criminal industry from the tax payer !
Don’t expect any favours from the likely political persuasions that will hold sway in the UK, with or without Independence for Scotland !
Keep up the pressure !
xxxx to the bitter end.
Going on his track record perhaps a career in politics next!!!
Too much land owned by too few, until we change this we will end up with “Hooray Henries ” like this tit.