Month: June 2025

Natural England prevaricating on release of hen harrier brood meddling report

On 14 March 2025, Natural England announced the end of the ridiculous Hen Harrier brood meddling trial (see here).

For new blog readers, the hen harrier brood meddling trial was a conservation sham sanctioned by DEFRA as part of its ludicrous ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan‘ and carried out by Natural England between 2018 – 2024, in cahoots with the very industry responsible for the species’ catastrophic decline in England. In general terms, the plan involved the removal of hen harrier chicks from grouse moors, they were reared in captivity, then released back into the uplands just in time for the start of the grouse-shooting season where many were illegally killed. It was plainly bonkers. For more background see here and here.

Hen Harrier photo by Pete Walkden

The closure of the brood meddling sham was announced via a Natural England blog, attributed to John Holmes, NE Strategy Director.

In that blog, Holmes outlined the key results from the brood meddling trial which included a heavy reliance on two social science surveys of moorland managers:

These social science surveys/studies were intended to help Natural England ‘to evaluate any changes in social attitudes by those involved in upland management‘. In other words, did the availability of brood meddling stop the illegal killing of hen harriers on grouse moors? (The answer to that was a resounding NO – see here).

The first social science survey was undertaken as an interim study in 2021, in the middle of the brood meddling trial. This ‘study’ was hopelessly flawed in that it was limited to just 19 participants, and seven of those were NE employees and others were directly benefiting financially from their involvement in brood meddling. The findings of this ‘study’ were thus wholly unsuitable for assessing whether the attitudes of grouse moor owners had changed as a result of brood meddling – you can read my review of the ‘study’ here.

The second social science study, described by Holmes as a ‘wider survey’, was apparently conducted by National Centre for Social Research in 2024. Holmes referred to the findings of this study in his blog but Natural England didn’t publish the report to allow the public to draw its own conclusions.

Rather than rely upon Holmes’ interpretation of the study’s findings, I wanted to read it for myself so on 14 April 2025 I lodged an FoI request with Natural England, asking for a copy of the report:

‘Please provide a copy of the Natural England-commissioned report, undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research and completed in 2024 on grouse shooting industry attitudes to hen harrier brood management‘.

It was a simple, straightforward request that shouldn’t have posed any compliance issues for Natural England and I expected them to provide the report within the statutory time limit of 20 working days.

However, 20 working days later on 15 May 2025, Natural England wrote to me to tell me that a further 20 working days were needed “because of the complexity/voluminous nature of the request“.

Eh? There’s nothing ‘complex’ or ‘voluminous’ about asking for a copy of a report that had been written a year earlier!

Why will it take Natural England 40 working days to send it? Not only does this look like an abuse of process, but it also seems to me that Natural England has something to hide.

I did write back to Natural England and said, ‘You’re having a laugh – please send the report without further delay’.

So far, silence.

UPDATE 23 June 2025: Natural England still refusing to release social science report on Hen Harrier brood meddling (here)

Podcast: Wild Justice CEO Bob Elliot tells League Against Cruel Sports why driven grouse shooting should be banned

New podcast:

Bob Elliot, CEO of Wild Justice, in conversation with Emma Judd, Head of Campaigns & Communications at the League Against Cruel Sports, discussing why driven grouse shooting should be banned.

Listen here.

Bob Elliot. Photo by Fabian Harrison

Ireland’s oldest breeding white-tailed eagle feared poisoned

Press release from National Parks & Wildlife Service (30 May 2025)

Minister O’Sullivan calls for co-operation in the investigation of the possible poisoning of a white-tailed eagle

The National Parks & Wildlife Service appeals to the public for information

An investigation is underway following the discovery of one of Ireland’s oldest breeding white-tailed eagles, Caimin (Y) who was found dead in Clare last Saturday. Initial post mortem results from the Regional Veterinary Laboratory indicate a possible death from poisoning.

Caimin held territory at the Mountshannon nest site on Lough Derg for the past seventeen years. During that time, he mated and fledged a number of chicks. He was one of the first chicks to arrive as part of an NPWS Reintroduction Programme to bring back this formerly extinct species to Irish skies and was released from Killarney National Park in 2008. All of the white-tailed eagle chicks reintroduced under the programme are fitted with satellite tags, which enables them to be monitored and tracked.

White-tailed Eagle ‘Caimin’. Photo by Bob Foyle

In 2013, Camin mated with Saoirshe, a female eagle who was also part of the Reintroduction Programme. They became the first white-tailed eagles to successfully raise and fledge chicks in the wild in Ireland in over one hundred years. Caimin raised and fledged chicks into the wild until 2016, when Saoirshe died of Avian Influenza. He held the territory and mated again with Bernardine (B) in 2023 to successfully fledge more chicks to the wild from the same nest site in Mountshannon. Despite the loss of her mate, Bernardine is continuing to raise a chick on the nest site in Mountshannon.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan said:

“Any loss in the wild not due to natural causes, is usually the result of human activity and this tragic loss of a wonderfully aged bird, breeding happily in the Irish wild, is deeply regrettable.

“The Reintroduction Programme had been making significant progress in restoring this lost flagship species to Irish skies. These birds are part of Ireland’s natural heritage and are important for our biodiversity, as they are a good indicator species regarding the health of our ecosystems.

“We will continue with our efforts to introduce, nurture and protect these birds and I have tasked the NPWS with leaving no stone unturned to try to get to the bottom of this heinous potential crime.”

Eamonn Meskell, Divisional Manager, NPWS said:

“The knowing destruction of this wonderful bird of prey displays a wanton disregard for our re-introduction and nature protection efforts.

“These noble birds are beloved of the public and each loss is keenly felt by them and indeed by the staff of NPWS who have nurtured these birds from chicks to fledglings, onto adult life and into successfully breeding pairs. We know we can rely on the public’s help in this investigation”.

The main threat to the species in Ireland is persecution, predominantly through shooting and the illegal use of poison and wind turbine strikes. The misuse/illegal use of poisons accounts for nearly 50% of eagle deaths where the cause of mortality was able to be determined. Other causes of death include wind turbine strikes, lead shot poisoning and shooting. Avian Influenza and adverse weather also negatively impacted the breeding population.

If you have any information, please notify your local Garda station or your local National Parks and Wildlife Service office.

ENDS