Further to the news that Dorset Police has announced it has prematurely closed its investigation into the poisoned white-tailed eagle that was found dead on a shooting estate in January 2022 (see here, here and here), a question is to be tabled in the House of Lords.
Life Peer Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (known to many of us as the former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett) responded to Dorset Police’s decision with shock when she posted this on Twitter earlier today:
Natalie consistently speaks out on wildlife crime and particularly on raptor persecution. Let’s see if any of her fellow peers, and especially those working at DEFRA (Richard Benyon & Zac Goldsmith) can muster any interest in what looks increasingly like dodgy dealings in Dorset.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Well, someone in Dorset has had their tea spoilt tonight and is probably desperately thinking that of all the bad decisions they’ve made, cancelling this investigation must rank as number one. May we now expect the legendary “reverse ferret”?
This country is full of hot air and empty promises. People and organisations and departments and politicians who spin green messages all the time and actually do nothing. Shame on Dorset police! Nature’s recovery? We need to stop the decline first!
Well done and thank you to Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle. Look forward to the reply.
Well done and thank you to Life Peer Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle for tabling this written question in the House of Lords this afternoon. Let’s hope it meets with her fellow peers approval and that this investigation is not closed until this terrible situation is solved and those who perpetrate such horrendous actions against raptors and other wildlife are bought to justice with hefty fines and a lengthy incarceration to hopefully deter others.
This situation as it is certainly does smell of dodgy dealings; especially as it has all happened so quickly.
It’s probably one of the “lords” who own the estate the eagle was found on,Shame on you.
I hope that Natalie is properly briefed.
The White-tailed Eagle which was found poisoned in Dorset is G461.
The reintroduction programme was granted licences by Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage (now called NatureScot) and is being carried out in partnership with Forestry England “and other conservation organisations and key stakeholders and organisations”
I read from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation that during the public consultation: “There was clear majority support from people across the local area. Respondents to the survey from the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Dorset and Sussex – the counties where the reintroduced birds are most likely to settle and breed in the future – were 76% in favour of the project.”
Natural England write: “Natural England is pleased to be able to license this application. As described in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, bringing back lost species in a well-planned and supported way not only helps wildlife populations recover, but can also help more people connect with nature and open up new business opportunities.”
Forestry England write: “The white-tailed eagle was once a common sight across the southern coast of England. Persecution led to the eagles being wiped out, with the last known breeding place recorded as Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight in 1780.
We have been working with The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation to restore this lost species to woodland on the Isle of Wight. Six young birds from Scotland have recently been released as part of a five-year reintroduction programme.”
and
“White-tailed eagles are also one of the UK’s rarest species and listed as a bird of Conservation Concern. Lost through human activity, they are a missing part of England’s biodiversity.”
Forestry England is an executive agency, sponsored by the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department, whose Chairperson is Sir William Worsley, and the Director England is Ian Gambles, appointed by the Queen.
Natural England I think we know about…
Non-ministerial government departments are a type of department of the Government of the United Kingdom that deal with matters for which direct political oversight has been judged unnecessary or inappropriate. They are headed by senior civil servants. Some fulfil a regulatory or inspection function, and their status is therefore intended to protect them from political interference. Some are headed by a permanent office holder, such as a Permanent Secretary or Second Permanent Secretary.