A large pit containing dead Pheasants, Red-legged Partridges, Wood Pigeons, deer parts, and a lot of rubbish, including a burnt mattress, has been found on a shooting estate in the Cairngorms National Park.
Last October, a blog reader was walking on the Glenbanchor and Pitmain Estate, to the north of Kingussie when they saw what they described as “an estate vehicle” tipping dead birds in to an area at the side of a track that was concealed behind a spoil heap.
The walker returned to the site once the vehicle had left and took these photographs:
It appears that at least some of the gamebirds have been ‘breasted out’ – their breast meat removed, presumably for sale/consumption, and the carcasses then dumped in the pit.
Regular blog readers will know that the dumping of shot gamebirds is a common and widespread illegal practice that has been going on for years, despite the repeated denials by the shooting industry. Often they’re fly-tipped by the side of the road (e.g. see here).
In this case, the pile of rubble on site suggests that this is a burial pit, and perhaps the burnt mattress is used to cover the pit temporarily, in between dumping visits.
The blog reader reported this incident to SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) to see whether an offence had been committed but SEPA apparently thought ‘they’re subject to a waste disposal exemption’ and therefore this doesn’t constitute a crime.
It’s hard to believe that dumping gamebirds for burial is legal, especially when the country is in the grip of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, but the regulations are very confusing.
I’ve done a bit of research on this but I’m still not sure which regulations apply and which don’t.
If the gamebird carcasses are classed as animal by-products (and there are questions around that – it’s complicated!) then disposing of them by burial is unlawful due to the risk of spreading disease through residues in the soil, groundwater or air pollution (Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (Scotland) Regulations 2013).
There are exemptions, in areas of Scotland classed as ‘remote areas’. However, the location of this particular pit lies outside the ‘remote area’ and so an exemption wouldn’t apply:
I need to do some more work on this, and talk to the local authority (Highland Council) who I believe would be responsible for enforcement of any breaches of the Animal By-Products legislation.
But whether this is legal or illegal, it’s ethically appalling.
And I dare say the Cairngorms National Park Authority will be taking note, given its stated intention to:
‘Ensure that all pheasant and partridge shoots adhere to best practice and that all gamebird releases are sustainable and do not negatively impact on native biodiversity‘
and
‘Depending on the evidence gathered, investigate the use of Park Authority powers to regulate gamebird releases and develop a regulatory approach if required‘ (see here).
For the benefit of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, and anyone else who wants to take a look, here are the location details of the pit (estate boundary sourced from Andy Wightman’s Who Owns Scotland website):
It’s my understanding that NatureScot is currently considering whether police evidence about an unrelated alleged wildlife crime on this estate is sufficient to impose a three-year General Licence restriction (see here).
You may also not be surprised to hear that this isn’t the only gamebird-dumping pit that’s been found on a sporting estate in Scotland….details to follow.
Raptor Persecution UK 