The Northern England Raptor Forum (NERF) has just published its response to the publication of the RSPB’s Birdcrime 2016 report.
Read it here
NERF’s unreserved condemnation of the continued illegal killing of birds of prey is everything you would expect from an organisation that works at the frontline of raptor conservation. In addition, NERF welcomes the recent statements of condemnation from senior representatives of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (here) and the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (here). NERF is particularly appreciative of the frank admission and call for a halt to the illegal killing from BASC’s acting CEO, Christopher Graffius (here).
Incidentally, there are still places available to attend NERF’s annual conference on 18 November 2017, at Northumbria University (City Campus East) in Newcastle. Programme & booking details here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
An excellent and comprehensive response. It is to be hoped that the the weight of the statements emanating from various organisations, in response to Birdcrime 2016, will finally produce some positive comment and action from the Government showing that the present level of offences against wildlife will not be tolerated any longer.
As ever you can rely on the raptor worker side of things to cut through the cxxp that emanates from the driven grouse shooting criminals and their apologists.
I am however concerned that we all do not keep a healthy cynicism over all this new hand – wringing & concern in the uplands !
All the National Park board members, officers,land owners, Gov’t agency officers etc. etc. have always known how the industry works – total predator control including raptors to ensure that vast numbers of young grouse can be shot.
Where were they all for all the recent decades when raptor numbers on grouse moors have fallen or failed to thrive ?
Working hand in hand with an unsustainable industry that is based on criminality is likely to lead to further cover up & pretence.
What is really needed is proper evidence gathering & policing to bring to justice those who are responsible i.e. the land owners / managers & their slaves, the keepers.
The removal of subsidies to grouse moors is also long overdue.
Such work might also finally persuade the wider public that driven grouse shooting is not a force for good & simply stunts the possibilities for sustainability & economic benefits in the uplands.
Keep up the pressure !
I too am a little cynical about this sudden ‘change of heart’. What you say sennen makes complete sense. I fear that it may be no more than a ruse to obtain a more favourable judgement from those in the corridors of power. I hope I am proved wrong.
Thank you RPUK on behalf of my colleagues in NERF.
Not at all, Paul. It’s you and your NERF colleagues who should be thanked for the work you all do.
Totally agree with that statement,the work the raptor workers do in our area of N.Yorks goes pretty much unrecognized even by many in the birding community.
I agree with sennen bottalack. Without decrying the undoubted good work done by NERF, the shooting industry is expert in setting traps in more ways than one, and I have a strong suspicion that a collusion has been made behind the scenes to try to woo the opposition into a trap. These people have been wiling to harbour criminals for so long that they possibly don’t even realise what they are doing, however they manage to do quite a good job of convincing the public they are righteous with the odd sanctimonious statement about “a few bad eggs.” We should be very, very careful about going to bed with the devil. It may seem harsh and illiberal, but in order to save the harriers and other persecuted predators, compromise with these people is not the answer. Grouse shooting has to be outlawed, for a number of very good reasons.
I totally agree with Iain. Until this last few days, the dark side had been suspiciously low profile. What have they been cooking up? Fortunately we have RPUK, whereas they don’t appear to have anything either comparable or as effective!
I agree too – even if the near impossible happened and ALL persecution of raptors (plus other protected predators such as pine marten and otters) by the DGS community stopped the ecological damage it causes over vast areas is not acceptable. Any recreational hunting that involves a grossly inflated population of the target species is inherently unecological and thereby incompatible with genuine conservation, we just can’t afford it, DGS has to go.