Some excellent news!
The grouse moor owners’ lobby group in England, the Moorland Association, has at long last been booted off the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG), the so-called partnership for tackling raptor persecution crimes in England & Wales.
The trigger for this expulsion seems to have been the Moorland Association’s inflammatory blog earlier this month where it looked to be trying to sabotage the work of the police’s new National Hen Harrier Taskforce (I wrote about it, here).
The Moorland Association has now posted a new blog (here) where it claims to be ‘perplexed’ about its expulsion from the RPPDG:
Hilariously, in addition to being ‘perplexed and ‘bemused’, the Moorland Association’s response includes this line, which made me laugh out loud:
“We regret this decision, as the Moorland Association has been a loyal member of the group since it was established and has arguably achieved more than any other partner in reducing wildlife crime, with bird of prey numbers at record highs“.
I’ve written about the failure of the RPPDG many times since its inception in 2011, and have argued that it simply won’t work when there is a clear conflict of interest amongst some of the ‘partners’ whose sole intention seems to be to undermine progression on tackling these crimes. We’ve seen similar when the Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative collapsed last year (here).
From the beginning, the RPPDG has been dominated by organisations from the game shooting industry and the group’s perpetual lack of results (it’s achieved precisely nothing in terms of effectively tackling raptor persecution) has been consistently supported by a series of Tory DEFRA Ministers whose wilful blindness has been off the scale (e.g. Therese Coffey here, Rebecca Pow here, Richard Benyon here, Rebecca Pow again here, Richard Benyon again here, and Trudy Harrison here).
Let’s see what happens with the RPPDG now the Moorland Association has been removed from its position of influence.
Well done to Chief Inspector Kev Kelly, head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (and current stand-in Chair of the RPPDG) for a courageous (and in my view, long overdue) decision to remove the Moorland Association from the RPPDG. I imagine he considered the consequences of making such a decision (i.e. a nasty, spiteful backlash from certain quarters) but decided the potential benefits to the partnership outweighed the cost. It’s an impressive example of integrity and I applaud him for it.
UPDATE 1 August 2024: Police call out Moorland Association for “wasting time & distracting from the real work” of Hen Harrier Taskforce (here)
UPDATE 22 November 2024: Revealed: letter of expulsion to Andrew Gilruth (CEO, Moorland Association) from Head of National Wildlife Crime Unit (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
Excellent news
Brilliant!! 👏
This is good news.
I hope this is a signal of the beginning of the end to the xxxxx influence of recent Defra Ministers regarding shooting and bird of prey persecution.
“I hope this is a signal of the beginning of the end to the xxxxx influence of recent Defra Ministers regarding shooting and bird of prey persecution”
I am looking forward to Natural England and Tony Juniper now discovering a backbone.
I believe that Natural England has always had a backbone but was prevented from showing it by an administration hell bent on neutralising it completely as part of its energetic war against the nature and wildlife generally.
Let’s see what happens under a hopefully Iess hostile government.
I agree with you – but I wish that Natural England personnel had made public that they had not agreed with any particular decision, like the recent extension of the badger cull.
“I believe that Natural England has always had a backbone but was prevented from showing it “
That is the very definition of not having a backbone. Tony Juniper xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx . He already had various appointments. If something is not right, it is everyone’s job to say so, or resign in protest.
ur so right!
Long overdue. Shouldn’t be on in the first place, it’s like xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
I have just read the full MA blog on this ( laughable nonsense, typical of the hand of Gilruth) and one could say about bloody time this scurrilous crowd who I would say have ever since the inception of RPPDG obfuscated, delayed, filibustered and made pointless objections to reasonable actions at meeting after meeting and there by aiding, some might say, those who might wish to persecute raptors. The nonsense about covert surveillance is laughable if they are consulted and the equipment then installed it is hardly from a landowner POV covert, is it. Of course this would only be a problem to any law breakers, to those genuinely wishing to not only prevent but assist in the identification and prosecution of wildlife criminals on their land what’s the problem? None I suggest. Its obvious to me that the MA expected their obfuscation of this reasonable approach to wildlife crime prevention and detection to have no consequences, much like all the similar efforts in the past (Operation Artemis). Times have changed bad faith, for that is what I say they are guilty of, has finally got them just deserts. Well done NWCU more of it please, it is well past time when we ( raptor enthusiasts), the public and all appropriate authorities want and indeed should be demanding that those whose actions, damage, prevent efficient detection and prevention of wildlife crime should have NO PLACE at the table where these things are discussed with a view to better policing.
Problem is if it doesnt make money it will be sold off for farming!, and just become sheepwalk!, who wins then. Its the shitty world we live in sadly
Most grouse moors at best break even, your argument is both false and disingenuous, are you suggesting that persecution is a must of grouse moors are to continue? If you are you are wrong and nobody has the right to break the law without consequences.
“Problem is if it doesnt make money it will be sold off for farming!, and just become sheepwalk”
Upland farming is on its knees… It doesn’t make money.
“Latest Defra figures paint a bleak outlook for upland farms in England, as many question how they will remain viable in the future.”
https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/business-management/agricultural-transition/defra-figures-spell-looming-disaster-for-the-uplands
Average upland farm income £16,000, average dairy farm income £249,000, average cereal farm income £134,000
Don’t allow the likes of the MA to sell you the idea that there is only one model of moor management that can facilitate grouse shooting.
The fact that the high investment=high yield management model caters for the peculiar fetish for huge bags of grouse and does not work without killing all predators of any significance, is neither here nor there. Raptors have been supposedly protected in law for decades, therefore this management model should also have fizzled out decades ago when the law prevented them from killing raptors. But it was never enforced to any extent. The problem is that the industry never gave up that shooting and management model, and their default position is that they are still entitled to it.
Good post! I agree 100%
Good to see the police are not being deceived and increasing grasping the xxxxx ingrained in the grouse shooting industry.
It’s time Natural England ceased being manipulated by them, especially Tony xxxxx xxxxx Juniper.
For once some good news excellent hopefully onwards and upwards and there is no place for these pompous egotistical Pratt’s who think they are above the law questioning police surveillance because they’ve been had. Well done.
Ruth – I want to thank you for the huge amount of outstanding work you have put into exposing the outrageous tactics of the Moorland Association and others. Whilst other great individuals and groups will have liaised and raised concerns with the NWCU about the MA, I have no doubt that this decision is, in part, a result of the detailed, objective assessments of the failed work of the RPPDG and the role played by the MA in that failure. Thank you.
Thanks, Lizzy, but I think we’ve got the arrogance of the Moorland Association to thank for the decision. It’s been in plain sight for years, but the new CEO, Andrew Gilruth has just handed the opportunity on a plate to the NWCU. Not bad work after being in post for under 7 months.
This is Long Long overdue,and is a Great Statement to send out.Good News Indeed.
Great news & long overdue in my opinion ……..