Further to this morning’s blog about Scotland being declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone, England has now also been declared, and an additional mandatory Housing Order will begin this Friday (13 November 2026).
Press release from Defra, 11 November 2026:
NATIONAL HOUSING ORDER DECLARED TO PROTECT BIRDS FROM AVIAN INFLUENZA
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has ordered a mandatory poultry housing order to cover the whole of England from 00:01 on Friday 13th November 2026, following the increased risk and escalating number of confirmations of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or bird flu) in kept birds and findings in wild birds.
The new measures mean bird keepers across the whole of England must house all poultry and captive birds if they keep 50 or more birds (except in specific circumstances e.g. some zoo birds) or if they sell or give eggs, poultry products and live birds away.
An England-wide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) with mandatory biosecurity measures has also been declared, coming into force immediately. This requires all keepers whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock to undertake enhanced biosecurity measures to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease. These enhanced biosecurity measures include reporting of changes in egg production, mandatory record keeping, disinfecting footwear, and cleansing & disinfecting housing and concrete walkways regularly.
All bird keepers in England whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock must:
cleanse and disinfect clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds– if practical, use disposable protective clothing
reduce the movement of people, vehicles or equipment to and from areas where poultry and captive birds are kept, to minimise contamination from manure, slurry and other products
carry out effective vermin control in any areas where poultry and captive birds are kept
regularly thoroughly cleanse and disinfect housing
keep fresh disinfectant at the right concentration at all farm and poultry housing entry and exit points
minimise direct and indirect contact between poultry and captive birds and wild birds, including making sure all feed and water is not accessible to wild birds
prevent access by poultry to ponds and watercourses and ensure that birds are kept in fenced or enclosed areas
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:
“Bird keepers are urged to comply with the housing measures and to exercise robust biosecurity, remaining alert for any signs of disease and reporting suspected disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
“Having avian influenza confirmed in your flock can be devastating, I understand the impact this disease can have on the poultry sector and am extremely grateful for the continued cooperation of the industry“.
Details of the zone and the biosecurity measures that bird keepers must comply with can be found in full on GOV.UK
Every year the UK produces around 8 million turkeys. We do not currently anticipate any impact overall on the availability of Christmas turkeys or other seasonal poultry for consumers.
The current risk to human health from avian influenza remains very low. The FSA says properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat. The UK Health Security Agency continues to monitor the situation closely and remains vigilant for any evidence of changes in the level of risk.
ENDS
Some of the mandatory biosecurity regulations included in the England AIPZ DOapply to gamebirds that have been released, particularly the placement of feeding stations and the cleaning of feeding and water stations, as described in Schedule 3, below:
If any blog readers happen to come across dirty feed and water stations whilst you’re out and about, please report your findings to APHA, who should then report the alleged non-compliance to the local Trading Standards department for them to investigate.
I’d be very happy to receive copies of any reports made. Ideally, you should take a photo, note the grid reference (or use What3Words) and the date.
Statement from Scottish Government, 10 November 2026:
AVIAN INFLUENZA PREVENTION ZONE DECLARED IN SCOTLAND
Following an increase in detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in wild and captive birds, the Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland has declared Scotland-wide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry and other captive birds.
From 12 noon on Tuesday 10 November, it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers in Scotland to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from avian flu.
Surveillance shows the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is circulating in wild birds across the UK, and the risk to poultry and other captive birds is currently assessed as very high.
There have been six cases of avian influenza in kept birds in Great Britain this season (October-April), two in Scotland (one backyard flock on the Isle of Lewis and one in an egg producer in the Scottish Borders), and four cases in England.
Since 21 October nine of the 65 dead wild birds in Great Britain have tested positive for avian influenza. Of these, 56 were from England, 8 from Scotland and one from Wales.
There has also been an increase in poultry outbreaks across Europe in recent weeks, including in Belgium, Germany and Norway.
Public Health Scotland advises that the risk to public health from the virus is very low and Food Standards Scotland advises that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for consumers. Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.
Scotland’s Chief Vet Officer Sheila Voas said:
“While the risk to public health is very low, we are currently experiencing a heightened risk of an incursion of this virus from migratory birds and so it is vital that appropriate precautions are taken to protect poultry and other captive birds from infection.
“The introduction of this zone is a preventative measure, aimed at minimising the impact this often devastating virus, can have on Scottish kept birds.
“Maintaining strict biosecurity is the most effective method of protecting birds from the virus.”
ENDS
Here’s a map from the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) showing the current status of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks across the UK (as of 9 November 2026). As you can see, Scotland is the first country to declare an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone:
The biosecurity measures in Scotland’s AIPZ do not yet include a requirement to house captive birds but they do focus on taking steps to reduce the risk of virus transmission. The required measures are detailed in this document:
These new biosecurity measures mostly don’t apply to gamebirds because once released from captivity (where they are legally defined as ‘livestock’), they magically become ‘wild’ birds (see Wild Justice’s blog on Schrodinger’s Pheasant).
So even though these gamebirds are no longer in a release pen (where they were defined as ‘livestock’), and are encouraged to remain in a small area by the provision of feed stations (to make shooting them easier), gamekeepers are not required to fence off any ‘outdoor range’ as a biosecurity measure as other keepers of poultry are now required to do.
The only new measure that does apply to gamebirds is that when they are caught up from the wild to be returned to captivity for breeding stock (and they magically become ‘livestock’ again), keepers must not then move those caught-up birds from the premises for 21 days, presumably to allow for monitoring of HPAI symptoms.
However, given that it’s currently the middle of the shooting season, catching-up is unlikely to be taking place right now. Instead, gamekeepers will be leading their beating teams, forcing potentially-infected birds to fly around the countryside for paying guests to try and kill as many as they can, for entertainment purposes.
Great, isn’t it?
UPDATE 11.55hrs: England now also declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone & mandatory Housing Order starts Friday (here)
Earlier this year it was alleged that mandatory biosecurity regulations had been breached on Guy Ritchie’s Pheasant & Partridge shoot in Wiltshire.
Undercover investigators from the Green Britain Foundation had recorded footage on Ritchie’s Ashcombe Estate in November 2025 that appeared to show gamekeepers ignoring the new biosecurity rules that had been introduced to prevent the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
The investigators said they had footage of grain feeders being emptied on to the ground and of food being emptied directly on to open ground, instead of being covered to reduce access to wild birds.
Investigators also claimed the footage showed no visible daily inspection or cleaning of feeding areas, which are all mandatory requirements.
They reported their findings to APHA (Animal & Plant Health Agency) who subsequently reported the alleged offences to Wiltshire County Council’s Trading Standards department, who are responsible for enforcement.
Covert footage showed a grain feeder being emptied on to the ground in front of a Red-legged Partridge release pen (screen grab from Green Britain Foundation recording)
Covert footage showed a man spreading food on open ground (screen grab from Green Britain Foundation recording)
The Green Britain Foundation recently posted an update on the case, and reported that Wiltshire Trading Standards have now written to Ritchie with “written advice setting out the law”.
That ‘written advice’, or guidance, is the first step in enforcement action.
It’s pretty weak, given that breaches of the biosecurity regulations can constitute criminal offences under S73 of the Animal Health Act 1981 and non-compliance with a Section 23 declaration (the announcement on 20th August 2025 by the UK Chief Veterinary Officer of further disease control measures relating to HPAI at gamebird operations).
However, as we learned last year following similar biosecurity breaches uncovered by Wild Justice on a gamebird shoot on the Deben Estuary in Suffolk, Trading Standards always start off with a softly softly approach, as follows:
“…we would always look to engage with, and provide advice to, businesses and individuals engaged in potential breaches. Under our written Enforcement Policy, a staged approach to enforcement action is always considered. Where a business or person is willing to engage with us and bringmatters into compliance, we would also look to progress this in a positive way without resorting to immediate formal action such as prosecution. In most cases this is sufficient”.
The biosecurity breaches in the Deben Estuary case were compounded by the fact that the gamebirds there had been unlawfully released (next to a Special Protection Area without a licence), but the shoot owner/manager still only received ‘verbal guidance’.
This year, Wild Justice has uncovered more cases of alleged unlawful gamebird releases on or next to Special Protection Areas across England….more news on those soon.
Last Friday evening, Channel 4 News had another good piece exposing the dark side of the UK’s gamebird shooting industry.
It included some pretty gruesome undercover footage from gamebird rearing farms in England, including Westfield Farms near Pickering, North Yorkshire, who’ve featured on this blog several times over the years.
The piece also covered grouse shooting, again in North Yorkshire, and included information about the shot Marsh Harrier found critically injured on a grouse moor in the Westerdale area of the North York Moors National Park in August this year. She was about two months old. She didn’t survive her catastrophic injuries.
There’s an interview with Fiona Howie, one of the UK’s leading veterinary pathologists, discussing the damage caused to this Marsh Harrier and the wider issue of shot raptors, and Howard Jones from the RSPB’s Investigations Team, who repeats the society’s call for gamebird shoot licensing. There’s also an interview with Matthew Goodall from the GWCT who says he doesn’t think there’s a need for licensing as the industry can police itself. He said that with a straight face.
The timing of the piece was clearly intended to coincide with Defra’s Call for Evidence on gamebird rearing and shooting, designed to inform future policy which may include licensing. That consultation has now closed and we await Defra’s response.
The Channel 4 News piece is about 8 minutes long but be warned, it contains some distressing footage.
DEATH OF YET ANOTHER SEA EAGLE LINKED TO RAT POISON
The wildlife group Wildlife Poisoning Research UK (WPRUK) has established that another white tailed sea eagle, from the small population of these majestic birds in southern England, has been poisoned by the deadly toxin Brodifacoum.
This poison, which is approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), is widely used by gamekeepers, farmers and pest controllers to kill rats on farms and shooting estates. However, dead and dying rats become easy meals for predators like eagles and other birds of prey and the toxin moves up the food chain – killing as it goes.
White-tailed Eagle (photo by Ronnie Gilbert)
News of a string of previous eagle poisonings in Dorset earlier this year caused a major public outcry. All these birds had been exposed to Brodifacoum and now it appears that this poison is still killing wildlife. Rising levels of this toxin in the environment may undermine Government-supported plans to release more of these iconic birds in England.
Examining Government records on the internet, WPRUK has identified that the latest eagle killed was in Hampshire in June this year. The summary on the internet states that: ‘A white tailed eagle was found dead in a woodland. Analysis has confirmed brodifacoum in the liver which is likely to be the cause of death’.
WPRUK has now sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the Government for more information about the killing of this bird.
Dr Ed Blane from WPRUK said:
“The ongoing killing of these eagles and other wildlife by this poison shows, once again, that the Government’s efforts to safeguard wildlife simply aren’t working. They seem to have forgotten the damage done to wildlife by the disaster of DDT 50 years ago.
“We have the totally barking situation of one part of Government encouraging the re-introduction of sea eagles to the English countryside, while we have another Governmental body, the HSE, approving the use of poisons like Brodifacoum which are then killing the birds once they are released“.
Message from editor:Today (Sunday 1st November 2026) is the deadline for responding to Defra’s Call for Evidence on the impact of gamebird releases & shooting. Defra is asking anyone who has experiential evidence about the impact, whether positive or negative, to submit that evidence to the review. Experiential evidence is ‘lived experience’; what you’ve learned from the real world, rather than a theoretical concept.
I would argue that learning about what happened to the 154 Hen Harriers you’re about to read about is having an impact. It’s a lived experience, and therefore qualifies as experiential evidence and Defra needs to hear about it.
One of my colleagues described it to me as a sort of victim impact statement – the kind of declaration that’s presented in court from family and friends when someone has been murdered and they want the judge to consider the wider impact of the crime when deciding on a sentence.
If Defra Ministers are the judges, then it’s up to us to let them know what sort of impact these relentless crimes are having on us. Whether you’re disturbed by it, angered, upset, frustrated that raptor persecution is still happening and most of the time the perpetrators are still getting away it, then tell Defra, in your own words, about how this affects you, as a decent, reasonable, law-abiding member of society.
If you haven’t already sent in your submission, you have until 23.59hrs this evening to do it. It needn’t be onerous, you can simply send an email. Guidance is available here.
Thank you
_______________________________________________
For anyone who still wants to pretend that the grouse shooting industry isn’t responsible for the systematic extermination of Hen Harriers on grouse moors across the UK, here’s the latest catalogue of crime that suggests otherwise.
This male hen harrier died in 2019 after his leg was almost severed in an illegally set trap that had been placed next to his nest on a Scottish grouse moor (seehere). Photo by Ruth Tingay
This is the blog I now publish after every reported killing or suspicious disappearance.
“They disappear in the same way political dissidents in authoritarian dictatorships have disappeared” (Stephen Barlow, 22 January 2021).
Today the list has been revised to include the five young Hen Harrier chicks found dead in their nest on a grouse moor in County Durham with injuries consistent with being stabbed (see here).
There isn’t a one-stop shop (apart from this list) where you can find information about ‘missing’ or illegally killed Hen Harriers – the information for this list is sourced and cross-referenced from various places, including Natural England’s database, the RSPB’s database, the HSE’s database, police reports, RSPB Birdcrime reports and FoIs to various agencies. This list doesn’t include any Hen Harriers that have been listed as having a natural cause of death (e.g. known/suspected predation), or listed as ‘likely tag failure’, or known to have been lost abroad, or where the cause of death is inconclusive, unless there is additional information (e.g. from satellite tag data) which indicates suspicious or illegal activity. It is painstaking work that takes a lot of time to complete, but I consider it to be as accurate and comprehensive as it can be at the time of writing.
I’ve been compiling this list only since 2018 because that is the year that the grouse shooting industry ‘leaders’ would have us believe that the criminal persecution of Hen Harriers had stopped and that these birds were being welcomed back on to the UK’s grouse moors (see here).
This assertion was made shortly before the publication of a devastating new scientific paper that demonstrated that 72% of satellite-tagged Hen Harriers were confirmed or considered likely to have been illegally killed, and this was ten times more likely to occur over areas of land managed for grouse shooting relative to other land uses (see here). A further scientific paper published in 2023 by scientists at the RSPB, utilising even more recent data, echoed these results – see here.
2018 was also the year that Natural England issued a licence to begin a Hen Harrier brood meddling trial on grouse moors in northern England. For new blog readers, Hen Harrier brood meddling was a conservation sham sanctioned by DEFRA as part of its ludicrous ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan‘ and carried out by Natural England (NE), in cahoots with the very industry responsible for the species’ catastrophic decline in England.
For more background see here and for a critical evaluation of the trial after 5 years see this report by Wild Justice. In 2024 the brood meddling trial appeared to collapse for reasons which are not yet clear (see here) and the licence for the so-called ‘scientific trial’ expired. In March 2025 Natural England announced the end of the brood meddling trial (here) and in April 2025 announced that a licence application to continue brood meddling, submitted by the Moorland Association, had been refused (here).
Brood meddling was earlier described as a sort of ‘gentleman’s agreement’ by commentator Stephen Welch:
“I don’t get it, I thought the idea of that scheme was some kind of trade off – a gentleman’s agreement that the birds would be left in peace if they were moved from grouse moors at a certain density. It seems that one party is not keeping their side of the bargain“.
With at least 154 Hen Harriers gone since 2018, and 28 of those being brood meddled birds, there is no question that the grouse shooting industry was simply taking the piss. Meanwhile, Natural England pretended that ‘partnership working’ was the way to go and consecutive Tory DEFRA Ministers remained silent for all those years.
*n/a – no Hen Harriers were brood meddled in 2018.
‘Partnership working’ according to Natural England appeared to include authorising the removal of Hen Harrier chicks from a grouse moor already under investigation by the police for suspected raptor persecution (here) and accepting a £75k ‘donation’ from representatives of the grouse shooting industry with a contract clause that prevented Natural England from criticising them or the sham brood meddling trial (see here). This was in addition to a further £10k ‘donation’ that Natural England accepted, under the same terms, in 2021 (here).
Thankfully, the Scottish Government finally decided to act by introducing a grouse moor licensing scheme under the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. The intention behind this new legislation is that grouse shooting estates could have their licences suspended/revoked if, on the balance of probability, it is shown that any raptor persecution crimes (& some other associated offences) are linked with grouse moor management on that estate. There were, however, ongoing issues with the licence as it was significantly watered-down after an intervention from the grouse shooting industry (see here). The loophole was eventually closed off via an amendment in the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 (see here).
In England a new Hen Harrier Taskforce was established in 2024, led by the National Wildlife Crime Unit, to use innovative techniques to target Hen Harrier persecution hotspots (locations where Hen Harriers repeatedly ‘disappear’ or are found illegally killed). It’s too early to judge the Taskforce’s success/failure and it’s been met with considerable resistance from the Moorland Association, the grouse moor owners’ lobby group (e.g. see here). So far though, it’s quite clear that the the illegal killing continues.
So here’s the latest gruesome list of ‘missing’/illegally killed Hen Harriers since 2018. Note that the majority of these birds (but not all) were fitted with satellite tags. How many more [untagged] harriers have been killed? We now have evidence that gamekeepers are specifically targeting untagged Hen Harriers, precisely to avoid detection (see here for extraordinary footage/audio captured by the RSPB’s Investigations Team as featured on Channel 4 News in October 2024).
2018
February 2018: Hen Harrier Saorsa ‘disappeared’ in the Angus Glens in Scotland (here). The Scottish Gamekeepers Association later published wholly inaccurate information claiming the bird had been re-sighted. The RSPB dismissed this as “completely false” (here). Tagged by RSPB.
5 February 2018: Hen Harrier Marc ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Durham (here). Tagged by RSPB.
9 February 2018: Hen Harrier Aalin ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Wales (here). Tagged by RSPB.
March 2018: Hen Harrier Blue ‘disappeared’ in the Lake District National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
March 2018: Hen Harrier Finn ‘disappeared’ near Moffat in Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
18 April 2018: Hen Harrier Lia ‘disappeared’ in Wales and her corpse was retrieved in a field in May 2018. Cause of death was unconfirmed but police treating death as suspicious (here). Tagged by RSPB.
8 August 2018: Hen Harrier Hilma ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Northumberland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
16 August 2018: Hen Harrier Athena ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
26 August 2018: Hen Harrier Octavia ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
29 August 2018: Hen Harrier Margot ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
29 August 2018: Hen Harrier Heulwen ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Wales (here). Tagged by RSPB.
3 September 2018: Hen Harrier Stelmaria ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
24 September 2018: Hen Harrier Heather ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
2 October 2018: Hen Harrier Mabel (Tag ID 34342) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref NY851059. Tagged by NE.
3 October 2018: Hen Harrier Thor ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in Bowland, Lanacashire (here). Tagged by RSPB.
23 October 2018: Hen Harrier Tom (Tag ID 161144) ‘disappeared’ in South Wales (here). Grid ref SS906698. Tagged by NE.
26 October 2018: Hen Harrier Arthur ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North York Moors National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
1 November 2018: Hen Harrier Barney (Tag ID 34343) ‘disappeared’ on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall (here). Grid ref SX140720. Tagged by NE.
10 November 2018: Hen Harrier Rannoch ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here). Her corpse was found nearby in May 2019 – she’d been killed in an illegally-set spring trap (here). Tagged by RSPB.
14 November 2018: Hen Harrier River ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Nidderdale AONB (here). Her corpse was found nearby in April 2019 – she’d been illegally shot (here). Tagged by RSPB.
2019
16 January 2019: Hen Harrier Vulcan ‘disappeared’ in Wiltshire close to Natural England’s proposed reintroduction site (here). Tagged by RSPB.
28 January 2019: Hen Harrier DeeCee ‘disappeared’ in Glen Esk, a grouse moor area of the Angus Glens (see here). Tagged by RSPB.
7 February 2019: Hen Harrier Skylar ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in South Lanarkshire (here). Tagged by RSPB.
22 April 2019: Hen Harrier Marci ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
26 April 2019: Hen Harrier Rain ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Nairnshire (here). Tagged by RSPB.
11 May 2019: An untagged male Hen Harrier was caught in an illegally-set trap next to his nest on a grouse moor in South Lanarkshire. He didn’t survive (here).
7 June 2019: An untagged Hen Harrier was found dead on a grouse moor in Scotland. A post mortem stated the bird had died as a result of ‘penetrating trauma’ injuries and that this bird had previously been shot (here).
5 September 2019: Wildland Hen Harrier 1 ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor nr Dalnaspidal on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park (here). Tagged by Wildlands.
11 September 2019: Hen Harrier Romario ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
14 September 2019: Hen Harrier R1-M2-19 (Brood meddled in 2019, Tag ID 183704) ‘disappeared’ in the North Pennines (here). Grid ref SD920943. Tagged by NE.
23 September 2019: Hen Harrier R1-M4-19 (Brood meddled in 2019, Tag ID 55149) ‘disappeared’ in North Pennines (here). Grid ref NY952103. Tagged by NE.
24 September 2019: Wildland Hen Harrier 2 ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor at Invercauld in the Cairngorms National Park (here). Tagged by Wildlands.
24 September 2019: Hen Harrier Bronwyn ‘disappeared’ near a grouse moor in North Wales (here). Tagged by RSPB.
10 October 2019: Hen Harrier Ada ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North Pennines AONB (here). Tagged by RSPB.
12 October 2019: Hen Harrier Thistle ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Sutherland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
18 October 2019: Member of the public reports the witnessed shooting of an untagged male Hen Harrier on White Syke Hill in North Yorkshire (here).
November 2019: Hen Harrier Mary found illegally poisoned on a pheasant shoot in Ireland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
November 2019: Hen Harrier Artemis ‘disappeared’ near Long Formacus in south Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
14 December 2019: Hen harrier Oscar ‘disappeared’ in Eskdalemuir, south Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
December 2019: Hen Harrier Ingmar ‘disappeared’ in the Strathbraan grouse moor area of Perthshire (here). Tagged by RSPB.
Unknown date in 2019: Hen Harrier Erin tagged on Isle of Man ‘disappeared’ (Stop No Malfunction) – location unknown (see here). Tagged by RSPB.
2020
27 January 2020: Members of the public report the witnessed shooting of a male Hen Harrier on Threshfield Moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
5 April 2020: Hen Harrier Hoolie ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
8 April 2020: Hen Harrier Marlin ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
19 May 2020: Hen Harrier Fingal ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Lowther Hills, Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
21 May 2020: Hen Harrier R1-M1-19 (Brood meddled in 2019, Tag ID 183701) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Cumbria shortly after returning from wintering in France (here). Grid ref SD770877. Tagged by NE.
27 May 2020: Hen Harrier Silver ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor on Leadhills Estate, Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
2020: day/month unknown: Unnamed male Hen Harrier breeding on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria ‘disappeared’ while away hunting (here).
14 August 2020: Hen Harrier Solo (Tag ID 201119) ‘disappeared’ in confidential nest area in Lancashire (here). Tagged by NE.
7 September 2020: Hen Harrier Dryad ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
16 September 2020: Hen Harrier Fortune (Tag ID 162150a) ‘disappeared’ from a confidential roost site in Northumberland (here). Tagged by NE.
19 September 2020: Hen Harrier Harold (Tag ID 57272) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref NY830036. Tagged by NE.
20 September 2020: Hen Harrier R1-M4-20 (Brood meddled in 2020, Tag ID 55152) ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in North Yorkshire (here). Grid ref SE103956. Tagged by NE.
19 December 2020: Hen Harrier Lagertha (Tag ID 201126a) ‘disappeared’ in Christchurch, Dorset close to winter roost. Not to be confused with RSPB-tagged bird also called Lagertha (2023). Grid ref SZ161924. Tagged by NE.
2021
24 February 2021: Hen Harrier Tarras ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in Northumberland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
12th April 2021: Hen Harrier Yarrow ‘disappeared’ near Stockton, County Durham (here). Tagged by RSPB.
18 May 2021: Untagged breeding male Hen Harrier (Geltsdale 1) ‘disappeared’ from its breeding attempt on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria whilst away hunting (here).
18 May 2021: Another untagged breeding male Hen Harrier (Geltsdale 2) ‘disappeared’ from its breeding attempt on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria whilst away hunting (here).
24 July 2021: Hen Harrier Asta (Tag ID 201117) ‘disappeared’ in the North Pennines after establishing a home range around Gilmonby Moor (here). We learned 18 months later that her wings had been ripped off so her tag could be fitted to a crow in an attempt to cover up her death (here). Grid ref SE206937. Tagged by NE.
14th August 2021: Hen Harrier Josephine (Tag ID 213850) ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in Northumberland (here). Grid ref NY592841. Tagged by NE.
17 September 2021: Hen Harrier Reiver ‘disappeared’ in a grouse moor dominated region of Northumberland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
24 September 2021: Hen Harrier R2-F1-21 (Brood meddled in 2021, Tag ID 213918) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here). Grid ref NZ022667. Tagged by NE.
15 November 2021: Hen Harrier R2-F1-20 (Brood meddled in 2020, Tag ID 203003) ‘disappeared’ at the edge of a grouse moor on Arkengarthdale Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref NY959039. Tagged by NE.
12 December 2021: Hen Harrier Jasmine (Tag ID 213848) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (High Rigg Moor on the Middlesmoor Estate) in the Nidderdale AONB in North Yorkshire (here). Grid ref SE034733. Tagged by NE.
Unknown date in 2021: Hen Harrier Maiden, tagged in Lancashire in 2021, ‘disappeared’ at unknown location (here). Tagged by RSPB.
Unknown date in 2021: Hen Harrier Awyr, tagged in Conwy in 2021, ‘disappeared’ on Ruabon grouse moor. Her tag/harness was recovered and an expert assessment concluded it had been cut off (here). Tagged by the RSPB.
2022
9 January 2022: Hen Harrier Ethel (Tag ID 213852) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here). Grid ref NY936632. Tagged by NE.
10 February 2022: An unnamed satellite-tagged Hen Harrier ‘disappeared’ in a grouse moor dominated area of the Peak District National Park (here). One year later it was revealed that the satellite tag/harness of this young male called ‘Anu’ had been deliberately cut off (see here). Tagged by RSPB.
12 April 2022: Hen Harrier Free (Tag ID 201121) ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in Cumbria (here). It later emerged he hadn’t disappeared, but his mutilated corpse was found on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. A post mortem revealed the cause of death was having his head twisted and pulled off. One (ringed) leg had also been torn off whilst he was still alive (here). Tagged by NE.
April 2022: Hen Harrier Pegasus ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor at Birkdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
May 2022: An untagged breeding male Hen Harrier (Peak District 1) ‘disappeared’ from a National Trust-owned grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
May 2022: Another untagged breeding male Hen Harrier (Peak District 2) ‘disappeared’ from a National Trust-owned grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
14 May 2022: Hen Harrier Harvey (Tag ID 213844) ‘disappeared’ in the North Pennines (here). Grid ref NY918019. Tagged by NE.
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #1 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen Harrier chick #2 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen Harrier chick #3 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen Harrier chick #4 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
17 August 2022: Hen Harrier R1-M1-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID 232637) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref SD804893. Tagged by NE.
September 2022: Hen Harrier Sullis ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Cumbria (here). Tagged by RSPB.
5 October 2022: Hen Harrier R3-M2-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID 213920a) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref NY791016. Tagged by NE.
10 October 2022: Hen Harrier Sia ‘disappeared’ near Hamsterley Forest in the North Pennines (here). Tagged by RSPB.
October 2022: Hen Harrier R1-F1-21 (Brood meddled in 2021, Tag ID 213919) ‘disappeared’ in the North Sea off the North York Moors National Park (here). Tagged by NE.
1 December 2022: Hen Harrier R1-M1-21 (Brood meddled in 2021, Tag ID 55145a) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref SD917620. Tagged by NE.
7 December 2022: Hen Harrier R2-F2-20 (Brood meddled in 2020, Tag ID 55144) ‘disappeared’ from winter roost (same as R3-F1-22) on moorland in North Pennines AONB. Later found dead on 26 June 2023 with 3 shotgun pellets in corpse (here). Grid ref NY730372. Tagged by NE.
14 December 2022: Hen Harrier R3-F1-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID 213921a) ‘disappeared’ from winter roost (same as R2-F2-20) on moorland in the North Pennines AONB (here). Later found dead on 10 April 2023 with two shotgun pellets in corpse (here). Grid ref NY708423. Tagged by NE.
15 December 2022: Hen Harrier R2-F1-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID 213931) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref SD847831. Tagged by NE.
Unknown date in 2022: Hen Harrier Heath, tagged in Lancashire in 2019, ‘disappeared’ at unknown location (here). Tagged by RSPB.
Unknown date in 2022: Hen Harrier Syrcas, tagged in Conwy in 2021, ‘disappeared’ at unknown location (here). Tagged by RSPB.
2023
30 March 2023: Hen Harrier R1-F3-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID NY823039) ‘disappeared’ in Yorkshire (here). Grid ref NY823039. Tagged by NE.
March 2023: Hen Harrier (tagged), last transmission/sighting in Lancashire. No tag number provided. Reported in RSPB Birdcrime 2023, Appendix 4 (here).
1 April 2023: Hen Harrier R2-M1-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID NY846027) ‘disappeared’ in Yorkshire (here). Grid ref NY846027. Tagged by NE.
April 2023: Hen Harrier Lagertha ‘disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here). Tagged by RSPB. Not to be confused with Lagertha tagged by NE & disappeared in 2020).
April 2023: Hen Harrier Nicola (Tag ID 234078) ‘disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here). Grid ref SD831860. Tagged by NE.
April 2023: Untagged male Hen Harrier (Geltsdale 3) ‘disappeared’ from an active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria (here).
April 2023: Another untagged male Hen Harrier (Geltsdale 4) ‘disappeared’ from an active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria (here).
April 2023: Untagged male Hen Harrier ‘disappeared’ from an active nest in Co Durham (here).
4/5 May 2023: Hen Harrier Rush ‘disappeared’ from a grouse moor in Bowland AONB in Lancashire (here). Tagged by RSPB.
9/10 May 2023: Hen Harrier Dagda tagged in Lancashire in June 2022 and who was breeding on the RSPB’s Geltsdale Reserve in 2023 until he ‘disappeared’, only to be found dead on the neighbouring Knarsdale grouse moor in May 2023 – a post mortem revealed he had been shot (here). Tagged by RSPB.
17 May 2023: Hen Harrier Wayland ‘disappeared’ in the Clapham area of North Yorkshire, just north of the Bowland AONB (here). Tagged by RSPB.
31 May 2023: Hen Harrier R2-M3-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID 213932) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here). Grid ref NY765687. Tagged by NE.
11 June 2023: Hen Harrier R2-M1-21 (Brood meddled in 2021, Tag ID 213922) ‘disappeared’ in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref NY757000. Tagged by NE.
12 June 2023: Hen Harrier R1-M2-20 (Brood meddled in 2020, Tag ID 203004) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Co. Durham (here). Grid ref NY976322. Tagged by NE.
6 July 2023: Hen Harrier Rubi (Tag ID 201124a) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Co. Durham (here). Grid ref NY911151. Tagged by NE.
23 July 2023: Hen Harrier R1-F1-23 (Brood meddled in 2023, Tag ID 55154a) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Co. Durham (close to where Rubi disappeared) (here). Grid ref NY910126. Tagged by NE.
9 August 2023: Hen Harrier Martha ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (Westburnhope Moor) near Hexham in the North Pennines (here). Tagged by RSPB.
11 August 2023: Hen Harrier Selena ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (Mossdale Moor) in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
11 August 2023: Hen Harrier R3-F1-23 (Brood meddled in 2023, Tag ID 201118a) ‘disappeared’ in Co. Durham (here). Grid ref NZ072136. Tagged by NE.
15 August 2023: Hen Harrier Hepit ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (Birkdale Common) near Kirkby Stephen in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
24 August 2023: Hen Harrier R1-F2-23 (Brood meddled in 2023, Tag ID 55155a) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here). Grid ref NY679863. Tagged by NE.
August-Sept 2023: Hen Harrier Harmonia ‘disappeared’ in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). ‘Stop No Malfunction’. Tagged by RSPB.
September 2023: Hen Harrier Saranyu, tagged in Cumbria in June 2023, ‘disappeared’ in Durham in September 2023 (here). Tagged by RSPB.
September 2023: Hen Harrier Inger, tagged in Perthshire in July 2022, ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Angus Glens in September 2023 (here). Tagged by RSPB.
15 September 2023: Hen Harrier Rhys (Tag ID 213847a), tagged in Cumbria on 1st August 2023, ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref SD798896. Tagged by NE.
24 September 2023: Hen Harrier R2-F2-23 (Brood meddled in 2023, Tag ID 213929) ‘disappeared’ in the North Pennines (here). Grid ref NY888062. Tagged by NE.
26 September 2023: Hen Harrier Hope, tagged in Cumbria on 21 July 2023, ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref SD801926. Tagged by NE.
4 October 2023: Hen Harrier R1-M3-20 (Brood meddled in 2020, Tag ID 55153) ‘disappeared’ in Co Durham (here). Grid ref NY935192. Tagged by NE.
4 October 2023: Hen Harrier R4-F1-23 (Brood meddled in 2023, Tag ID 213925a) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref SE003981. Tagged by NE.
15 November 2023: Hen Harrier Hazel’ (Tag ID 240292) tagged in Cumbria on 21 July 2023, ‘disappeared’ on the Isle of Man (here). Grid ref SC251803. Tagged by NE.
7 December 2023: Hen Harrier R2-M1-20 (Brood meddled in 2020, Tag ID 55146a) ‘disappeared’ in Co Durham. Grid ref NY963211. Tagged by NE.
Unknown date in 2023: Hen Harrier Aurora, tagged in Dumfries & Galloway in 2022, ‘disappeared’ at unknown location (here). Tagged by RSPB.
2024
12 February 2024: Hen Harrier Susie (Tag ID 201122), found dead in Northumberland. Later revealed to have been the victim of shooting (here). Grid ref NY759585. Tagged by NE. Susie’s chicks were stamped to death at nest on moor at Whernside in 2022 (here).
15 February 2024: Hen Harrier Shalimar, tagged on the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate in 2023, ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances on a grouse moor in the notorious Angus Glens (here). Tagged by RSPB.
24 April 2024: Hen Harrier Ken (Tag ID 213849a) ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances close to a grouse moor in Bowland (here). Grid ref SD684601. Tagged by NE.
17 May 2024: Hen Harrier R2-M2-23 (Brood meddled in 2023, Tag ID 213928) ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances next to Middlesmoor grouse moor in Nidderdale (here). Grid ref SE043754. Tagged by NE.
7 June 2024: Hen Harrier Edna (Tag ID 161143a). Decomposed corpse found next to a wind farm nr Otterburn, Northumberland. Listed as ‘suspected illegally killed’. There has been a suggestion she was killed elsewhere & dumped at the wind farm as a ploy to cover up the crime (here). Grid ref NY910827. Tagged by NE.
25 June 2024: Hen Harrier R2-F1-23 (Brood meddled in 2023, Tag ID 213923) ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances on a grouse moor in Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Grid ref NY985082. Tagged by NE.
July 2024: Hen Harrier Helius, tagged in Lancashire in 2023, ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances in Bowland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
29 July 2024: Hen Harrier (Tag ID 254843) tagged in Northumberland on 5 July 2024, decomposed corpse not suitable for post mortem but forensics work on her satellite tag showed shot damage (here). Grid ref NY824937. Tagged by NE.
October 2024: An un-tagged Hen Harrier was apparently shot on a grouse moor at Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales National Park by one of three gamekeepers being secretly filmed by the RSPB (here).
1 October 2024: Hen Harrier Dreich (Tag ID 254842) ‘disappeared’ in Lanarkshire (here). Grid ref NS826020. Tagged by NE.
15 October 2024: Hen Harrier Baldur (Tag ID 240291) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here). Grid ref NZ038961. Tagged by NE.
19 October 2024: Hen Harrier Margaret (Tag ID 254844) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here). It was later reported that her tag had been found (‘removed’) but no sign of the carcass (here). Grid ref NY878497. Tagged by NE.
2025
15 January 2025: Hen Harrier Red, hatched on the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in 2024, ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in County Durham in the North Pennines, in the same area another tagged Hen Harrier (Sia) vanished in 2022 (here). Tagged by RSPB.
January 2025: Hen Harrier Ataksak was found poisoned close to a grouse moor in North Yorkshire (here). Apparently a police investigation is ongoing. Tagged by RSPB.
3 February 2025: Hen Harrier R3-F2-22 (Brood meddled in 2022, Tag ID 213924) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North York Moors National Park (here). Grid ref SE759996. Tagged by NE.
27 February 2025: Hen Harrier Sita, tagged on behalf of Hen Harrier Action in Bowland in 2024 ‘disappeared’ from a roost site on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Tagged by RSPB.
4 April 2025: Hen Harrier Bonnie (Tag ID 254841) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Moorfoots, Scotland (here). Grid ref NT415575. Tagged by NE.
10 April 2025: Hen Harrier Gill (Tag ID 240294) ‘disappeared’ in south Scotland (here). Grid ref NT440344. Tagged by NE.
1 May 2025: Hen Harrier Pete (Tag ID 213843) ‘disappeared’ in Cumbria (see here). Grid ref NY309418. Tagged by NE.
May 2025: Untagged Hen Harrier male (Geltsdale 5) with an active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria ‘disappeared’. Strongly suspected to have been shot whilst away hunting on nearby grouse moor (here).
May 2025: Another untagged Hen Harrier male (Geltsdale 6) with another active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria ‘disappeared’. Strongly suspected to have been shot whilst away hunting on nearby grouse moor (here).
May 2025: Hen Harrier Dynamo with an active nest on United Utilities-owned land in Bowland, Lancashire, ‘disappeared’. Strongly suspected to have been shot whilst away hunting on a nearby grouse moor (here). Tagged by RSPB.
May 2025: Untagged Hen Harrier with an active nest on United Utilities-owned land in Bowland, Lancashire, ‘disappeared’. Strongly suspected to have been shot whilst away hunting on a nearby grouse moor (here).
31 August 2025: An unnamed Hen Harrier, hatched and tagged on National Trust-owned moorland in the peak District National Park in 2025, ‘disappeared’ from Ruabon grouse moor, north Wales after arriving there three days earlier. Her tag data indicated she was dead on 31 August. Her tag/harness were recovered on 2 September and an expert assessment concluded it had been “intentionally severed” (here). Tagged by RSPB on behalf of National Trust.
9 September 2025: Hen Harrier Maria (Tag ID 281718) tagged in Northumberland on 25 July 2025, ‘disappeared’ near Belford in Northumberland. Grid ref NU125340. Tagged by NE.
17 September 2025: Hen Harrier Beatrix, who fledged from the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in summer 2025, ‘disappeared’ from an area dominated by grouse moors near Allendale in the North Pennines (here). Tagged by RSPB.
27 September 2025: Hen Harrier Wadrew, who fledged from the RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria in summer 2025, ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor near Birkdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (see here). Tagged by the RSPB.
30 September 2025: Hen Harrier Morrigan ‘disappeared’ in the southern area of the North Pennines National Landscape (here). Tagged by RSPB.
14 October 2025: Hen Harrier Circe, hatched on the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in 2025 and tagged on behalf of charity Hen Harrier Action, ‘disappeared’ in the Moorfoots, south Scotland (here). Tagged by RSPB.
To be continued…
You’ll probably have noticed that list ends in October 2025. That’s not because no other Hen Harriers have ‘disappeared’ or been killed illegally since then – they definitely have – but the authorities haven’t yet made the details public.
Of these 154 incidents, only one has resulted in a conviction – Head gamekeeper Racster Dingwall pleaded guilty at York Magistrates Court in January 2026 to conspiracy to kill a Hen Harrier on the Conistone & Grassington Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in October 2024 (see here).
I had thought that when we reached 30 dead/missing Hen Harriers then the authorities might pretend to be interested and at least say a few words about this national scandal. We’ve now reached at least ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR Hen Harriers, and still Govt ministers remain silent on the illegal persecution issue. They appear not to give a monkey’s. And yes, there are other things going on in the world, as always. That is not reason enough to ignore this blatant, brazen and systematic destruction of a supposedly protected species, being undertaken to satisfy the greed and bloodlust of a minority of society.
And let’s not forget the response from the (now former) Moorland Association Chair (and owner of Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire) Mark Cunliffe-Lister, who told BBC Radio 4 in August 2023 that, “Clearly any illegal [Hen Harrier] persecution is nothappening” (here), in the year when a record 32 Hen Harriers had been confirmed ‘missing’ and/or illegally killed.
Nor should we forget the response from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) Director of Policy Dr Alistair Leake who wrote a letter to the Guardian newspaper in November 2023 stating that the Hen Harrier brood management [meddling] scheme “is surely a shining example of human / wildlife conflict resolution that would be the envy of other countries trying to find similar solutions“ (I kid you not – here).
Detective Inspector Mark Harrison of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) who leads on the national Hen Harrier Taskforce gave a live online presentation on 27 January 2026 for the charity Friends of the Dales, about the work being undertaken to tackle the ongoing illegal killing of Hen Harriers in the UK. You can watch it on YouTube, here.
For new blog readers, an RSPB report Hen Harriers in the Firing Line, published last year provides a good overview of the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers on UK grouse moors, as does this news reel from Channel 4 News:
North Wales Police have confirmed that two men from Wrexham have been charged with illegally setting snares on Ruabon Moor, the only driven grouse moor in Wales.
Head gamekeeper Stuart Hart, 50, of Penycae, and underkeeper Jack Yates, 23, of Overton Road, Ruabon, are both charged with setting a snare to injure a wild animal.
Hart is charged in connection with two incidents that are alleged to have taken place on Ruabon Moor in August 2025 and July 2026.
Yates is charged in connection with an alleged incident in the same location in July 2025.
They will both appear before Llandudno Magistrates Court on 18 November 2026.
The use of snares is illegal in Wales, having been banned under the Agricultural (Wales) Act 2023.
I believe this blog post from October 2025 relates to some of the charges.
NB: Comments are turned off as criminal proceedings are live.
Another shooting season is underway and that means incidents of dumped/fly-tipped gamebirds have also started again.
Here’s one from this month, with dead Woodpigeons and Red-legged Partridges dumped in a lay-by in Keyingham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire (thanks to the blog reader who sent the screen grab from social media).
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. The disposal of animal by-products (including shot gamebirds) is supposedly regulated and the dumping of these carcasses is an offence.
Previous reports include dumped/fly-tipped birds found in Cheshire (here), Scottish borders (here), Norfolk (here), Perthshire (here), Berkshire (here), North York Moors National Park (here) and some more in North York Moors National Park (here) and even more in North Yorkshire (here), Co. Derry (here), West Yorkshire (here), and again in West Yorkshire (here), N Wales (here), mid-Wales (here), Leicestershire (here), Lincolnshire (here), Somerset (here), Derbyshire’s Peak District National Park (here), Suffolk (here), Leicestershire again (here), Somerset again (here), Liverpool (here), even more in North Wales (here) even more in Wales, again (here), in Wiltshire (here) in Angus (here), in Somerset again (here), once again in North Yorkshire (here), yet again in West Yorkshire (here), yet again in mid-Wales (here), even more in mid-Wales (here), more in Derbyshire (here), Gloucestershire (here) more in Cheshire (here), some in Cumbria (here), some more in the Scottish Borders (here) and again in Lincolnshire (here), in Nottinghamshire (here), even more in Lincolnshire (here), even more in the Scottish Borders (here), in Dorset (here), in Cambridgeshire (here), in South Lanarkshire (here), in Inverness-shire (here) and in the Cairngorms National Park (here)
Award-winning comedian, writer and actor Lord Christian Brighty (‘The Mr Darcy of the Internet’), who recently made this brilliant spoof video about Pheasant shooting, has created another one, this time a short video specifically about the dumping of shot gamebirds. Press the arrow to play:
At the end of the video, viewers are urged once again to submit evidence to Defra’s Call for Evidence on gamebird shooting. It closes at one minute to midnight on Sunday 1st November 2026.
If you’ve ever found piles of shot and dumped gamebirds in lay-bys on lanes in your local area, or found them stuffed inside bin bags and dumped in the woods, or chucked in rivers, or tipped into giant pits on grouse moors, please send in your information to Defra’s Call for Evidence on the impacts of gamebird shooting. The consultation closes at one minute to midnight on Sunday 1st November 2026. You can find guidance about how to do it on Wild Justice’s website, here.
Following Bob Berzins’ recent guest blog about a so-called ‘controlled burn’ on a grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (see here), another blog reader has sent the following:
I thought you might appreciate a bit more information on the photos of the burning moor on Bob Berzin’s blog. I am a frequent visitor to that area, often a passenger in a car or bus looking over that landscape where the smoke is. I was driving past that site on the weekend of the 10th and 11th October. On the 10th I saw the smoke coming from muirburn and assumed it was a routine heather burning. I also drove past on the next day, the Sunday, and was surprised to see smoke still coming from the area. No one seemed to be in attendance (viewing through binoculars from Mortimer Road).
Then the next weekend, about 8 a.m. 17/10/26 I was driving past again and was really surprised that the same place was still smouldering, smoke still drifting towards High Bradfield as in Bob’s photos. An hour or so later viewing the moor from Ughill Moor (to the SE of the burn site) with my binoculars this time I could see three fire engines, what looked like a vehicle with a water tank, a fire service lorry and a fire service van. I took the photos attached.
By the following Monday or Tuesday a friend told me that the smoke had finally stopped, and the fire service was no longer there. Last time I drove past, on 22/10/26, and could no longer see smoke from Foulstone/Moscar Moor. It seems to be properly out now.
This episode leaves me with a few questions. For one thing, I wonder who pays for all those public services going out to attend to a fire that was started deliberately? Another is, how come gamekeepers are burning the moors when they are clearly still rather dry and perhaps it’s likely the fire will get out of control? These are rhetorical questions, I don’t expect you to answer them.
I find it ironic that the grouse shooting industry is claiming to know all about managing vegetation to prevent wildfires and yet they cause this by carrying out a supposedly a “controlled burn“.
Award-winning comedian, writer and actor Lord Christian Brighty (The Mr Darcy of the Internet’) has produced an entertaining video about Pheasant shooting.
This is the perfect antidote to the current hysteria from the gamebird shooting industry about how the ‘countryside is under attack’.
As Christian says, it is under attack, but not in the way the shooters would have you believe!
At the end of the video, viewers are urged to submit evidence to Defra’s Call for Evidence on gamebird shooting. Christian says the Call for Evidence closes on 6th November – it actually closes at one minute to midnight on Sunday 1st November (that’s this coming Sunday).
If you haven’t yet submitted your evidence, hopefully you’ll take inspiration from Christian’s video and you can also find some guidance on Wild Justice’s website, here.
