Excellent news! This morning the RSPB has stated its intention to appeal the hen harrier brood meddling ruling.
This follows on from the news that Mark Avery has already lodged an appeal (see here).
Writing on his blog this morning, the RSPB’s Global Conservation Director Martin Harper said that after an RSPB Council meeting yesterday, the decision was taken to proceed with an appeal.
Read the details of the appeal on Martin’s blog here
Well done, RSPB!
[A breeding hen harrier as she should be – alive and unmeddled. Photo by Laurie Campbell]
Raptor Persecution UK 
Although it will be hard to overturn the idea that NE has the legal right to conduct any kind of trial it likes, the idea that this will likely still be in the public and the RSPB members’ minds even at the end of 2019 is worth far more than the extra cost of appeal, if it is allowed. Natural England has for far too long been a lackey of the people it has decided to support, rather than fulfil it’s statutory duty. The revelations in the recent paper on the almost extinct Hen Harrier in England is a function of their preparedness to ignore it’s duty.
It seems to boil down to the definition of “conservation.” The shooters have long used the term to describe their work without admitting that it’s really about the conservation of their lifestyle, and more importantly, their right do use the countryside for their own benefit. After all, they own it !