I’ll come back to the exclusive report on Channel 4 News this evening about gamekeepers caught plotting to kill, and then killing, a hen harrier on a grouse moor in Northern England. There’s a lot to say!
Meanwhile, the RSPB has just published its latest Birdcrime Report (2023), which provides a summary of raptor persecution crimes across the UK over the last 15 years (2009-2023).
Here’s the RSPB press release:
Illegal bird of prey killing must end, demands RSPB Birdcrime report
- The Birdcrime report, which reviews the past 15 years, reveals that at least 1,344 birds of prey were illegally killed between 2009-2023, with crimes continuing to emerge. These criminal acts target threatened species including Golden Eagles, Goshawks and Hen Harriers.
- The majority of incidents are associated with land managed for gamebird shooting.
- The RSPB is calling for significant legislative change across the UK to stop bird of prey persecution.
The RSPB is calling for an end to the relentless illegal killing of birds of prey in a new report, which documents 15 years of criminal slaughter.
The Birdcrime report, published today (22 October), reveals that between 2009-2023 there were 1,529 confirmed bird of prey persecution incidents involving 1,344 individual birds of prey. These include rare and threatened species such as Golden Eagles, Hen Harriers, Peregrines, White-tailed Eagles and Goshawks.
These latest figures reveal that crimes are being committed on a considerable scale year-on-year. Worryingly, they represent just the tip of the iceberg as many of these incidents take place in unpopulated areas where they go unseen and unreported to the authorities, and as a result there is no consequence for these illegal acts.
Many of the victims were killed in brutal ways. In 2022, a Hen Harrier was found dead near the border of Yorkshire and Cumbria; the post-mortem examination concluded that its head had been pulled from its body while still alive.
Raptor persecution is having a direct impact on species that are already struggling. Two young White-tailed Eagles – a species slowly recovering having been wiped out in the UK by persecution in the last century – were found dead in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in 2023. Analysis confirmed that both eagles had died by ingesting Bendiocarb, a highly toxic insecticide. Laying poisoned baits, which are incredibly dangerous to people and pets, is illegal, yet a common technique used to kill birds of prey.
The majority of raptor persecution incidents are associated with land managed for gamebird shooting, where some individuals deliberately target birds of prey to maximise the number of gamebirds available to shoot for sport.
Scientific studies reach the same conclusion. A landmark paper (Ewing et al, 2023) published in Biological Conservation revealed that the illegal killing of Hen Harriers associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of Hen Harrier annual mortality.
And of all people convicted of bird of prey persecution-related offences between 2009 and 2023, 75% were connected to the gamebird shooting industry. All birds of prey are protected by law, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. Yet in the past 15 years, only one person has been jailed. Current laws are not serving as an effective deterrent or punishment for these crimes.
For decades the RSPB Investigations Team has challenged bird of prey persecution by detecting and recording crimes and assisting with police investigations.
The RSPB also uses satellite tag technology to shine a light on the scale of persecution faced by Hen Harriers. The real-time data received from these tags gives previously unknown insights into where the birds go and, crucially, when and where they die. It has revealed that more Hen Harriers were killed or disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 2023 than in any previous year.
To end this culture of criminality, the RSPB is calling for the licencing of all gamebird shooting across the UK by the government in Westminster and all of the devolved administrations, building on the work already started in Scotland to licence grouse shooting.
Mark Thomas, RSPB UK Head of Investigations, said:
“Our latest report harrowingly details what the team sees on a day-to-day basis: the scale of raptor persecution, where it is happening and who is responsible. In the last 15 years, a minimum of 1344 amazing birds like Hen Harriers, Red Kites and eagles have been deliberately killed, the majority in connection with gamebird shooting – that’s a national disgrace which requires urgent government action. If we are to save birds like the highly threatened Hen Harrier, then the current legislation is clearly not enough: we need licencing of gamebird shooting throughout the UK, stronger penalties and meaningful sentencing to stop these crimes and save our wildlife.”
The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act, passed in March 2024, means all grouse shoots in Scotland require a licence to operate, and that this licence could be revoked if a crime is committed. This progressive legislation will help ensure legal and sustainable management across a significant area of upland Scotland and introduces a much-needed deterrent for those who kill birds of prey for economic reasons.
Beccy Speight, RSPB Chief Executive, said:
“For decades, the RSPB has investigated hundreds of cases of illegal bird of prey persecution in the UK. A significant proportion of these incidents happen on or near land associated with gamebird shooting. The RSPB is calling on the Westminster Government and all devolved administrations across the UK to introduce the licencing of gamebird shooting. This progressive step will help challenge the relentless killing of our birds of prey and help to safeguard their future survival.”
ENDS
The RSPB’s Birdcrime 2023 report can be read/downloaded here:
The Appendices for Birdcrime 2023 can be read/downloaded here:
Raptor Persecution UK 
why does everyone just pay half hearted lip service yo this illegal slaughter of birds of prey snd all for the wealthy high and mighty( so they think) to make millions by charging wealthy pretend hunters.
shooting of this type MUST CEASE.
Why must so called GAME BIRD SLAUGHTERING be used as a status symbol.
As I have put forward previously the ONLY WAY TO ERADICATE THIS ILLEGAL inhumane SLAUGHTER OF BIRDS OF PREY is as follows.
Hold the shooting estates nearest to where these crimes are committed responsible for the lives of these birds of prey.
they fully realise that they can act illegally and have a very good chance of not getting caught and if caught their mates, friends who are judges give a slap on the wrist if that.
what needs to happen is hold the estates responsible for the lives of all birds of prey within 2 miles of the money rich owners of the shooting estates.
IF an injured or dead bird of prey is found the estates or estates within 2 miles MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CRIME COMMiTTED.
they must be fined £250,000 per time and closed for game shooting for 3 years.
you have to hit these self proclaimed LORDS AND SPORTSMEN WHETE IT HURTS THEM AND THAT IS IN THEIRNPOCKET.
if an other bird of prey is found within their 2 mile radius the fine and closure DOUBLES EVERY TIME WITH NO PARDONS JUST NAIL THEM AND TREAT THEM AS THEY TREAT THE BIRDS OF PREY THEY SLAUGHTER HARSHLY.
Call the army out armed to the teeth
Yahoo Mail.
I began reading the report and discovered even beautiful Barn Owls are being slaughtered. It proves it’s a blood lust for some of them. There is no excuse for not licensing shooting estate, to bring it into line with Scotland. Perhaps the whole Wildlife Protection Act needs to be updated with those caught getting proper sentences which send out a real message.
The response from the game lobby is to claim RSPB exaggeration, which I think is bullshit from them and a clear deflection tactic rather than suggesting they will get their house in order ( That’ll never happen willingly) Time that game shooting was properly managed such that such crimes mattered in their ability to continue shooting in places where it has occurred, ( ie. Licencing) And/or hitting them where it hurts elsewhere too in the pocket with both huge fines and restitution payments.
Whenever such things are spoken of the likes of the MA, BASC etc. talk about an overburden of bureaucracy and red tape when in actual fact there is a considerable lack of it. It is clear that criminality is widespread and rife within game management and shooting and there shooting organisations are unwilling or unable to get rid of it. So either their so called sport goes or we impose something that will get rid of the crimes with PROPER regulation.
We saw all too clearly what the crimes and criminality are like on Channel 4 News and the pathetic and irrelevant response from the XXXXX Gilruth at the MA. It really doesn’t matter that raptors are generally doing well, they are protected in law and all criminality should be brought to book, helped in an ideal world by the non criminal elements in shooting itself, currently there is fat chance of that, they either have their heads up their own fundaments or are rushing like lemmings to the cliff edge. No wonder they want any further roll out of brood meddling to have all birds released without satellite tags. Currently everything they do or want is heavily influenced by their criminal element, where in all of this are our statutory bodies, oh yes in bed with them, thank god for RSPB.
On a tactical point, why did the RSPB give Channel 4 News (with a relatively small following) a pre- press release exclusive?
As a result, other mainstream media took the hump and most boycotted a story which had effectively become old news.
Jim, er….you do understand the concept of an exclusive, don’t you?!
I’ve no idea what you’re talking about re: mainstream media. There was massive coverage!
Yes indeed. I heard it on BBC Radio 4 Farming Programme the following day.
“On a tactical point, why did the RSPB give Channel 4 News (with a relatively small following) a pre- press release exclusive?”
Perhaps because Channel 4 and Alex Thomson have covered the issue of raptor persecution, on prime time news broadcasts, several times in recent years?
“mainstream media took the hump and most boycotted a story”
At least the BBC didn’t. They even produced their own interview on the event (shown on News At One, but not on News At Six, and not on the iPlayer, either). I don’t know what ITV or Channel 5 did…
we all know why this goes on because royalty like shooting wildlife hence why no-one has ever challenged them