Category: News

Is Natural England bending the rules for Swinton Estate on breach of hen harrier diversionary feeding licence?

Back in April and May this year, I blogged about this spring’s hen harrier diversionary feeding fiasco at Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire after footage was sent to me of two individuals apparently putting out food at an active nest site during a period when it was expressly forbidden to take place (see here and here).

[Grouse moors on the Swinton Estate, North Yorkshire. Photo by Ruth Tingay]

After a lot of digging, and a lot of obfuscation by Natural England (e.g. see here), it was revealed that the estate was not even in possession of a diversionary feeding licence at that time and so the matter has since been passed to North Yorkshire Police who are currently investigating whether an offence has been committed (see here).

I am still waiting to hear about North Yorkshire Police’s conclusions and will report back in due course.

Meanwhile, after further digging and a series of FoIs to Natural England, it became apparent that Swinton Estate had also allegedly breached it’s hen harrier diversionary feeding licence in 2019 (see here).

I learned through an FoI response from Natural England that in 2019 the Swinton Estate had again been providing diversionary feeding for breeding hen harriers at a period in the breeding cycle (the incubation period) when it was expressly forbidden by the terms of the licence. The estate seemed oblivious to this breach because it openly admitted it on its licence return to Natural England.

So in June I submitted a further FoI to Natural England to ask about this breach of the 2019 licence and whether it had taken any enforcement action against the estate. Bear in mind that Natural England warns all potential licence users that:

‘Anyone acting under the authority of this licence must follow the advice on diversionary feeding of hen harriers on grouse moors in northern England. If you do not follow this advice you may be in breach of this licence and are at risk of enforcement action‘.

In July, Natural England replied and told me that due to the ‘complexity’ of my request, it required a further 20 working days to respond. This wasn’t the first time NE has struggled with a very straightforward information request on this subject (e.g. see here) and I doubt it’ll be the last.

In August, after taking 40 working days to respond, here is how Natural England answered my questions about the apparent breach of the 2019 licence:

Me: Please can you look at the attached [2019] licence return from Swinton Estate relating to the diversionary feeding of hen harriers. According to the details written on this return, it would appear that Swinton Estate attempted diversionary feeding during the incubation period, which as you’ll be aware was contrary to the terms of the licence at the time.

Please can you advise (a) did anyone at NE notice this when the licence return was submitted?

Natural England response: No, this was not identified at the time the return was submitted.

Me: (b) was there any enforcement action as a result of this apparent breach?

Natural England response: No

Me: (c) If so, what was it, please?

Natural England response: N/A

Me: (d) If no enforcement action, please explain why not.

Natural England response: The breach was not identified. In any event, a breach of a licence condition is not of itself an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (WCA) and no evidence or intelligence has been received as to the disturbance of Schedule 1 birds that might have given rise to an offence under section 1 of the WCA.

Me: (e) If there wasn’t any prior enforcement action will there now be any and if so, what will it be?

Natural England response: As above, the breach of a licence condition is not of itself an offence under the WCA and there remains no evidence or intelligence as to the disturbance of birds that might give rise to an offence under section 1 of WCA. Furthermore, young within the nest in question successfully fledged. The condition in question no longer applies to the Class Licence based on best available evidence demonstrating how diversionary feeding interventions can be used to benefit hen harriers. Natural England will however be writing to the Estate to remind them of the importance of adhering to the terms and conditions of any licence on which they propose to rely.

I don’t know why it took Natural England 40 working days to provide these basic answers. Perhaps it thought I’d lose the will the live whilst waiting?

Needless to say, I’m fascinated by NE’s claim that disturbing breeding hen harriers by feeding them during the incubation period, which was expressly forbidden by the terms of the licence, does not amount to an offence under section 1 of the WCA. Specifically, Section 1(5)(a) of the WCA states:

If any person intentionally or recklessly disturbs any wild bird in Schedule 1 while it is building a nest or is in, on or near a nest containing eggs or young, he shall be guilty of an offence.

I’ve written back to Natural England to ask it to explain why this particular licence breach does not constitute an offence.

I’ve also written to Natural England to ask what enforcement measures it CAN implement if somebody breaches the terms and conditions of the licence. It threatens licence users with ‘enforcement action’ for breaches, but it’s apparent from the FoI response that NE doesn’t even check for previous licence breaches when issuing replacement licences!

Natural England says that it would ‘be writing to the Estate to remind them of the importance of adhering to the terms and conditions of any licence on which they propose to rely‘, but what’s the point of issuing threats if (a) you’re not going to even check for licence breaches and (b) even when a breach is pointed out to you, you don’t bother taking any ‘enforcement action’ anyway?!

Natural England argues in its response that ‘The [licence] condition in question no longer applies to the Class Licence based on best available evidence demonstrating how diversionary feeding interventions can be used to benefit hen harriers‘. That’s totally irrelevant. The licence condition [no diversionary feeding during incubation period] WAS a condition in 2019 and the estate evidently breached it. Just because Natural England has since slyly changed the licence conditions (in response to awkward questions being asked about repeated breaches, apparently it is now acceptable to provide diversionary food during the incubation period!), it doesn’t mean that a breach didn’t take place under the 2019 licence terms and conditions!

To be clear, I’m not so much interested in the Swinton Estate’s actions here. Yes, it’s of concern that it apparently can’t read/comprehend the simple terms of a licence (what other terms & conditions might it be breaching?), and that this has happened in multiple years, not just as a one-off mistake, but the estate’s actions were probably not malicious towards the breeding harriers (although it could be argued that repeated disturbance of a breeding attempt could cause a breeding failure). In my view, Swinton Estate is keen for the hen harrier brood meddling trial to work (which is why it’s involved with diversionary feeding) because the grouse-shooting industry wants brood meddling to be rolled out in future years as a ‘legal’ method of removing harriers from their grouse moors, so the estate appears to be tolerating the harriers, for now at least, as part of the brood meddling trial.

So rather than focus on the estate, I’m much more interested in Natural England’s behaviour and its apparent tolerance of licence breaches and its penchant for rule-bending in pursuit of its shameful hen harrier brood meddling trial (oh, and its acceptance of a £10K bung from BASC with an attached gagging order preventing Natural England from saying anything derogatory about either BASC or the hen harrier project!!!).

This hen harrier brood meddling trial is supposedly underpinned by rigorous scientific parameters, although these have been challenged in the courts by Dr Mark Avery and the RSPB (appeal hearing was in January 2021 but eight months on and the court decision is still awaited!). If Natural England can’t be trusted to take action on apparent licence breaches, what faith can we have in its adherence to the scientific rules of the trial? Can we trust Natural England not to bend the rules?

I’ll report back when Natural England responds to my latest FoI request. On previous form, that will probably be in November!

Reports of wildlife crime doubled during lockdown, says Police Scotland Chief

Press release from Police Scotland:

Operation Wingspan, a year-long campaign to tackle wildlife crime, working with partners, including the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland, has seen considerable success and is now entering its final phase.

This involves officers working on the persecution of fresh water pearl mussels and tackling all aspects of poaching, including hare coursing. As with previous phases, it will involve a combination of enforcement action and education.

Overall, the campaign has involved officers engaging with a number of organisations, including the agricultural community, ranger services, land managers and game keepers with the aim of educating the wider public and encouraging them to report wildlife crime to the police.

Detective Sergeant Billy Telford, Police Scotland’s Wildlife Crime Co-ordinator, said: “We have many internationally renowned species that attract thousands of nature lovers and tourists every year to Scotland, but many crimes against wildlife are cruel and barbaric, often involving a painful death.

“From hunting deer, hares or badgers with dogs, to using poisons or snares on protected birds, and protecting one of our lesser known species, the critically endangers freshwater pearl mussel, Operation Wingspan is raising awareness and hopefully encouraging people to come forward and report this kind of crime.”

[This young golden eagle was found ‘deliberately poisoned‘ with a banned toxin on an Invercauld Estate grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park in March this year. Photo by RSPB Scotland]

Operation Wingspan began in October 2020 and Phase One saw officers tackling the trade in endangered species and included visits to over 300 business premises, such as antique dealers, retro shops and pet shops across Scotland to advise owners and provide information about potential contraventions under The Control of Trade in Endangered Species (COTES) 2018 regulations. It resulted in the seizure and recovery of alligator heads from across the country.

Phase Two tackled badger persecution, working with the charity Scottish Badgers, to highlight that badgers and their setts are protected, that it is an offence to harm or interfere with them and that badger baiting is illegal. Where ongoing risks were identified, action was taken to protect the sett and the badgers.

Phase Three saw officers taking part in a construction conference to outline the responsibilities of developers, highlighting that it is an offence to destroy or damage roosts, as well as engaging with bat groups and visiting vulnerable roosts, ultimately leading to people being charged for undertaking development that threatened the welfare of bats.

In Phase Four concentrated on raptor persecution. Officers have carried out a number of activities, including patrols of vulnerable nesting sites, warrants executed in relation to wildlife crime and a social media campaign with an educational video that was produced in collaboration with the RSPB.

Detective Chief Superintendent Laura McLuckie said: “Reports of wildlife crime doubled during lockdown and Police Scotland is dedicated to working closely with a wide range of partner organisations to reduce the harm to species targeted by criminals and the communities who rely on them for employment and tourism across Scotland.

“Tackling wildlife crime is not just about enforcement, it is also about working with partners and raising public awareness to prevent it happening. Indeed, the public has an important role in helping up to investigate reports of wildlife crime and I would urge anyone with concerns or who suspect a wildlife crime has been committed to contact us on 101, and if it is an emergency to call 999.”

More information can be found on our website: https://www.scotland.police.uk/wildlifecrime

ENDS

Investigation opens into suspected buzzard poisoning

Various media fora in the Irish Republic have reported on the suspected poisoning of two buzzards in Kerry.

A member of the public found the birds in August in the Currow/Scartaglen area, south of Castleisland, Co. Kerry. One buzzard was dead and the other one was taken for treatment and possible rehabilitation.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service is investigating and toxicology results are awaited.

A Government report published in October 2020 demonstrated that illegal raptor persecution continues to be a problem in Ireland, especially for the common buzzard. In 2020, 23 buzzards were poisoned in one single incident by the banned pesticide Carbofuran (see here) and in the same area in 2018, three buzzards were poisoned with Carbofuran, two were then decapitated and one had its leg pulled off (here).

Job vacancy: Creative Digital Media Manager (Langholm Moor Community Buyout)

The Langholm Initiative is recruiting again for the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve (formerly a knackered old grouse moor owned by Buccleuch Estates, sold in a huge community buyout earlier this year – here).

Job title: Creative Digital Media Manager: Communities & Conservation – a digital journey of landscape restoration

Location: Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway

Employer: The Langholm Initiative but answerable to the executive committee of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve

Salary: £28,000 depending on skills/ experience

Length of project: 3 years fixed term

Pension: 3% employer’s contribution.

Closing Date: 16th September 2021

Job Description:
This is an amazing and unique opportunity for the right creative individual to make a contribution to community regeneration, large scale ecological restoration and climate change. We are looking for an individual experienced in creating and managing digital content to join our small team of staff and volunteers who are responsible for the development of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve following a historic community buy out earlier this year.

​Your role is to help us engage with our supporters all around the world as we start on the journey to restoring the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve and help us communicate the power of a nature led approach to ecological restoration. Using the latest digital technology and innovations you will help us tell the story of restoring nature and a sense of hope, that communities can make a difference in the global climate and nature crisis response. 

​You don’t have to have a scientific background – although an interest in, and commitment to, climate change, restoring our natural world and community led action will be beneficial. We have a wealth of local knowledge and community expertise to support and provide detailed information on the ecology of the area.

​You don’t have to be a full blown ‘techie’ but we do need you to be at ease with creative multi-media content development and technology to help us tell our story. This project is about using the power of creative media to innovatively capture the changes that are happening to our reserve over time as we restore the land. 

​You will need to be a good communicator to build digital capacity and skills within the team and the wider community to make sure the project is sustainable when the 3 year contract comes to an end.

[Bog asphodel on Langholm Moor, July 2021. Photo by Ruth Tingay]

The project – a digital journey of landscape restoration:

The community has bought 5000 acres of rough moorland, forestry, ancient woodland and river valley along with 6 properties, some rented out to local residents. The area is an ex-grouse moor and much of it is a designated and protected landscape due to the rare and endangered species that live here. 

​We want our many supporters (both locally and further afield) to share our journey (especially those who can’t actually visit us) as we work to restore the ecological balance of the site and contribute to community regeneration. We want to be able to monitor progress and tell the story as our land changes and responds over time to capture all of the benefits that this restorative approach provides. 

​The Role:

We have listed below the ideas we wish the successful candidate to take forward. However, we are also open to other suggestions that help us achieve the aims of this project:

Development of the new Tarras Valley Nature Reserve (TVNR) dedicated website: 

The Langholm Initiative has its own website which, to date, has hosted news and updates on the community buyout. However, you will be responsible for the development of a new dedicated TVNR website that is capable of live streams video sharing, archiving and mapping sat tag links etc. 

You will be responsible for creating the brief and seeing the website development through to completion (including tendering if necessary) and for managing it’s content for the duration of the project.

Time lapse Story: 

A strong element to our story are the changes we can bring about to the landscape over time – be that regenerating woodland, restoring peatlands or wetland creation. We want to show the process of nature’s recovery in innovative real time ways and engage global audiences. 

Nest Cameras and livestreams: 

We have many rare birds who nest here, including the iconic hen harrier; nest cams will bring the birth of new chicks into our supporters homes and for the many people who will never get to witness this in real life, this can be an amazing way to maintain and encourage ongoing support.

Tarras Valley – a Bird’s Eye Perspective: 

We want to show and tell the story of large scale ecological change throughout the Tarras Valley – drone footage showing change over time is an opportunity to do this, as well as using the footage to create short engaging videos.

Creating promotional/inspiration videos: 

A picture paints a 1000 words – giving our community and supporters access to short, quality videos that tell the story of change, community action as our reserve recovers and regenerates. 

Where the Wild Birds Roam – Bird of prey satellite tags: 

Working with the RSPB,tagging our chicks as they are about to fledge and journey will help build up our knowledge about how they behave and interact with a changing landscape. It will also give global audiences a unique insight into the wonders of the natural world. 

Community Activities: 

Working with other members of the team you will help to get the local community involved, this could include the following:

  • Community members submitting their own photos and video of the area to highlight change and archive the flora and fauna.
  • Working with schools to show how the technology is used.
  • Working with the local Raptor Study Group (Satellite tagging, nest camera placement etc.)
  • Engaging the community to be part of promotional videos exploring why the land is important to them.

Reporting
The post would report directly to the Development Manager and work closely with the Estate Manager. The postholder will be expected to submit reports to the Board of the TVNR and to funders as requested.

Purpose of the Role:      

This is a fixed term role. Salary will be determined according to experience with training provided to help develop skills further. The work of the postholder is crucial to the marketing of the TVNR and communicating it to our many supporters around the world. 

It is anticipated that at the end of project, the Langholm Initiative will be in a strong position to sustain the work into the future. It is important that the postholder ensures that any developments are future proofed so they can be continue to be managed by existing staff and volunteers into the future.  

Responsibilities:        

This fantastic opportunity is a fixed term 3-year position. The successful candidate will be required to work closely with other team members as well as work with partner organisations, volunteers and members of the community.

The postholder must be mindful of the community’s involvement in the work that has gone on to date to fully realise the community ownership of the land and of the cultural significance of the land to the people of our community.

The post will require you to build relationships with partners and be able to develop and deliver an annual workplan to ensure all project outputs can be delivered as agreed with the funder. 

You are likely to be working with volunteers that can assist with the project and you will support them in their role and build a team spirit within the group and enable them to take pride in the role that they play.

You should be willing to be adaptable and flexible in the way you deliver the project objectives and be open to new ideas from our partners, other team members, volunteers – and we will be open to new ideas from you!

Are you the Right Person for the Job?

This exciting role requires an experienced and dedicated individual that can provide evidence of successful delivery of projects such as this. 

We recognise that this is a unique project and whilst we believe that good project management skills are key, we are flexible as to other qualification’s – as much as anything is the right aptitude for the role. 

A good understanding of ecology, IT and experience in managing a website will all be beneficial. You should have good digital skills and experience of photography and creating videos and editing these. You may also have experience of commissioning pieces of work such as the creation of a website. You must be a team player who can co-ordinate the development of specifications for work, inviting and scoring tenders and commissioning that work.

People and communications skills will be vital to the delivery of the work and the person should enjoy building relationships with people of all ages and abilities. You will be confident in managing your own workload to achieve agreed objectives.

For information about the recruitment process and to download the job pack, please visit the Langholm Initiative website here

10 more ospreys translocated to Poole Harbour

Ten more young ospreys have been successfully translocated from Scotland and released at Poole Harbour in Dorset as part of a project to re-establish a breeding population in southern England.

Beginning in 2017, the Poole Harbour Osprey Translocation Project is led by the charity Birds of Poole Harbour, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and local tech business Wildlife Windows.

[An osprey photographed at Lychett Bay in Poole on 25th August 2021. Photo by Rene Goad]

Ospreys were extirpated in the UK by the early 1900s, largely due to persecution and egg collectors. The species naturally recolonised Scotland in 1954. During the late 1990s, a pioneer translocation project re-established the species at Rutland Water in the Midlands and ospreys have since spread to Northumberland and Wales. Further translocation projects have since taken place in Spain, Portugal and Switzerland and another is planned for Suffolk.

The restoration of a breeding population in Poole Harbour, where they haven’t bred for 180 years, is seen as key to connecting the existing UK and European populations.

For updates on the project please follow the Birds of Poole Harbour website (here) and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation (here).

Freedom of information documents highlight gamekeepers, fox hunting and raptor persecution in 3 public forests

The Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind has today revealed that Forestry Land Scotland (FLS) is still permitting the use of fox-hunting foot packs in several public forests, partly for the benefit of privately-owned grouse shooting estates. These public forests also happen to be in well-known raptor persecution hotspots.

In a freedom of information response, FLS admitted allowing the fox-hunt foot packs to operate in three public woodlands near Inverness: Loch Farr Wood, Farr Wood and Meall Mor near Moy.

[Moy has long been of interest to this blog, mostly for the frequency of illegal raptor persecution incidents recorded there for over a decade. And then there’s this: a photo to illustrate the stupidity of setting fire to the moor for grouse management, a few hundred yards from some publicly-subsidised wind turbines!]

The FoI documents also reveal that FLS staff suspected that gamekeepers were visiting the forests to look for fox dens to block up, which also happened to be beside Schedule 1 raptor nests, some of which have been repeatedly attacked in previous years.

For example, in 2016 Police Scotland issued an appeal for information after one goshawk and four buzzard nests were abandoned in suspicious circumstances in Moy Forest (see here).

In 2017, also in Moy Forest, masked gunmen were caught on camera underneath a goshawk nest. The nest, containing a clutch of eggs, was mysteriously abandoned shortly afterwards (see here and here).

In July this year, Police Scotland appealed for information after a dead goshawk was found in Loch Farr Wood – this bird had been shot (see here).

The issue of fox-hunting is beyond the remit of this blog although I’d question whether a Scottish Government agency should be complicit in supporting the eradication of native predators for the benefit of driven grouse shooting, which is what appears to be happening here.

If you’d like to read more about OneKind’s freedom of information request and FLS’s response about fox-hunting, gamekeepers and raptor persecution in these public forests, please see the OneKind blog (here) and an article in today’s National (here).

Meanwhile, as the authorities seem unable to tackle raptor persecution in public forests, we’re all still waiting to see whether NatureScot will impose a General Licence restriction on Moy Estate following the discovery of a poisoned satellite-tagged red kite found on the grouse moor almost a year ago, in October 2020 (see here).

12 more white-tailed eagles released on Isle of Wight

Twelve more white-tailed eagles (also known as sea eagles) have been released on the Isle of Wight as part of a licensed project to reintroduce the species to southern England.

Formerly resident in parts of England, the sea eagle was extirpated a few hundred years ago thanks to persecution. The same thing happened in Scotland but the eagles have since been successfully reintroduced there after Norway generously donated young birds for the project, first for the Isle of Rum (1975) and then later in Wester Ross (1993-1998).

The reintroduction project in southern England is led by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England, and began in 2019 by releasing six eagles in the first year and seven birds last year, bringing the total released so far to 25.

The aim is to release up to 60 birds over a period of five years with the objective of creating a small breeding population in the region after an absence of over 240 years.

Young eaglets are being collected by experts from the Scottish Raptor Study Group, under licence, from selected nest sites in western Scotland and are taken down to special release aviaries on the Isle of Wight where they’re cared for until ready for release. Each eagle is carrying a satellite transmitter so the team can monitor and track their progress.

[Two young sea eagles released from the holding aviary and considering their first flights. Photo by Forestry England]

Roy Dennis, MBE, Founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation said: “We are now three years into this reintroduction project, and it is extremely encouraging to see just how successfully white-tailed eagles are settling into the English landscape. Highlights for me have included watching the birds learn how to successfully fish all year round and the growing interactions between the birds. I am also always fascinated in tracking some of their huge exploratory flights across England and Europe and their ultimate return back to the Isle of Wight.” 

“We have seen from other reintroduction programmes that returning lost species offers real benefits for the health of our environment, and to people and local economies. None of this would be possible without the support of many people and I would like to thank everyone who has helped us again with this year’s release and ongoing monitoring of the birds.” 

Steve Egerton-Read, White-Tailed Eagle Project Officer, Forestry England, said: “Over the last three years we have closely tracked the progress of these incredible birds. It’s been brilliant to see how well they are fitting into the landscape and we are hopeful that before too long they will breed in England again.” 

“It’s been particularly rewarding to hear from people across the country who are delighted to have seen the birds in their local area. It’s still a real thrill for me to see these incredible birds in the skies above the Isle of Wight and I look forward to the day that they are re-established right across southern England.” 

For more information about the project and to keep updated about the eagle’s movements, please visit the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation website here.

Lorna Slater is new Biodiversity Minister in Scotland

Scotland has a new Biodiversity Minister following the historic power share agreement between the SNP and the Greens.

As part of the agreement, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has appointed two new Ministers from the Greens – Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.

Here’s the formal announcement from the Scottish Government, dated 30 Aug 2021:

New Ministers to be appointed

Scottish Greens to enter Government

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced her intention to appoint two new Ministers following the approval of the historic Bute House agreement.

For the first time anywhere in the UK members of the Green Party will enter government and for the first time since devolution a formal cooperation agreement will be in place in Scotland.

Patrick Harvie will be Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, working with the Housing Secretary and Net Zero Secretary.

Mr Harvie’s responsibilities will include driving policy changes that shift Scotland away from reliance on high carbon modes of transport and heating and towards greener alternatives – essential as part of the push towards a net zero economy by 2045.

Ensuring fairness during that transformation will also be key, and Mr Harvie will lead on delivering a new deal for tenants, and ensuring building standards are fit for purpose.

Lorna Slater will take on the role of Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, working with the Finance and Economy Secretary and Net Zero Secretary.

Ms Slater will drive a Green Industrial Strategy, helping people access training and opportunities as part of a net zero Scotland, and ensuring our economy is supported through a just transition to net zero.

Supporting biodiversity and protecting our national parks and natural heritage will also form part of Ms Slater’s role, working closely with NatureScot and Zero Waste Scotland and supporting the development of a circular economy that minimises the impact on our natural environment.

The First Minister said:

“This historic cooperation agreement is founded in a shared drive to work together in the Scottish Government to build a greener, fairer, independent Scotland.

“We have massive challenges to overcome: a global pandemic and its lasting effects, the climate emergency and the assault by the UK government on the powers of our Parliament. Patrick and Lorna’s roles in Government are rightly at the heart of facing up to them, and the expertise and passion they bring with them will contribute greatly to defining Scotland’s path forward in doing so.

“Although our parties do not agree on everything we have been able to compromise on both sides, find common ground and agree on areas where we can work together to build a better country.

“The world has had to adapt quickly to respond to the fast-paced and changing nature of the pandemic but what it has shown us is that we can put politics aside to tackle the challenges in front of us decisively and in a way that delivers. I look forward to working with my new Green Party colleagues in this new and ambitious way.”

Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights Patrick Harvie said:

“We are at a crucial tipping point in terms of our relationship with the planet. I am thrilled at the opportunity to drive forward policies that enhance peoples’ lives while supporting the urgent goal of tackling the climate emergency as we emerge from the pandemic.”

Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater said:

“Any transition to net zero must be just, and my focus will be on delivering policies that support our workforce and wider economy through that change as well as ensuring our greener future is also a prosperous and fair one that benefits our natural environment.”

ENDS

The Scottish Government also publicised the responsibilities of the two new ministerial posts and their placement within the Scottish Cabinet, as follows:

Background
Ministerial Appointments are subject to formal confirmation and acceptance by Parliament and Her Majesty the Queen.

Responsibilities of new Ministers
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, Patrick Harvie.

  • active travel
  • Future Transport Fund
  • energy efficiency
  • heat networks
  • heating and domestic energy transformation
  • building standards
  • new deal for tenants
  • Future Generations Commissioner
  • and serving as a member of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation

Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Lorna Slater.

  • Green Industrial Strategy
  • green skills
  • circular economy
  • Zero Waste Scotland
  • nature recovery targets
  • NatureScot
  • biodiversity
  • national parks and natural heritage
  • plant health
  • and serving as a member of Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Emergency

Ministerial team

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Drugs Policy, Angela Constance

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, John Swinney
Minister for Parliamentary Business, George Adam

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, Kate Forbes
Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work (who will also work alongside the Net Zero Secretary), Richard Lochhead
Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee
Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, Tom Arthur
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity (who will also work alongside the Net Zero Secretary), Lorna Slater

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf
Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, Maree Todd
Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, Kevin Stewart

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville
Minister for Children and Young People, Clare Haughey
Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, Jamie Hepburn

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson
Minister for Environment and Land Reform (who will also work alongside the Rural Affairs Secretary), Mairi McAllan
Minister for Transport, Graeme Dey

Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Keith Brown
Minister for Community Safety, Ash Denham

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, Shona Robison
Minister for Equalities and Older People, Christina McKelvie
Minister for Social Security and Local Government, Ben Macpherson
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel, & Tenants’ Rights (who will also work alongside the Net Zero Secretary), Patrick Harvie

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon

Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson
Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, Jenny Gilruth

Trial date set for Suffolk gamekeeper accused of poisoning buzzard

A couple of days ago I blogged about a gamekeeper who was due in court this week to face allegations that he was responsible for the alleged poisoning of a buzzard in Suffolk (see here).

This prosecution resulted from a multi-agency investigation and raid conducted at premises in January this year involving Suffolk Police, National Wildlife Crime Unit, Natural England and the RSPB’s Investigations team (see here).

[Police seized guns and pesticides during the multi-agency raid in January 2021. Photo via Suffolk Police]

News from the court today (via the RSPB) is that this gamekeeper has pleaded guilty to some charges but not guilty to others, so this case will now proceed to trial.

The gamekeeper pleaded guilty to six charges relating to firearms and pesticide storage.

He pleaded not guilty to two further charges relating to the illegal buzzard poisoning.

The trial is due to begin on 8th November 2021.

Please note, as this is a live case no further detail will be provided here until the case has concluded or there is official commentary from the court. Comments on this particular blog also won’t be accepted until the case concludes so as not to prejudice proceedings. Thanks for your understanding.

UPDATE 9th November 2021: Gamekeeper convicted for pesticide and firearms offences but buzzard-poisoning charge is dropped (here)

Eight more young golden eagles released in southern Scotland

Eight more young golden eagles have been released in southern Scotland as part of the project to bolster the tiny remnant breeding population there, which has been suppressed for decades, largely due to illegal persecution (e.g. see here for a recent example).

The eight eagles were collected as chicks from nests further north with expertise and assistance provided by members of the Scottish Raptor Study Group. The eaglets were cared for in aviaries at a secret location near Moffat until they were fully developed, and were then fitted with satellite tags and given a final health check before being released in to the wild.

This brings the total number of golden eagles successfully released in southern Scotland to twelve, where they’ve joined a small number of other young golden eagles that have hatched in the wild there in the last few years and who remain in the area, all of them also being satellite-tracked to monitor their survival.

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project is coordinating these releases and this lottery-funded project still has a number of years to run and more eagles are expected to be released in the future.

Up until now, the released birds and the wild birds have been observed interacting well (e.g. see here) and now the numbers are slowly increasing it’ll be interesting to see whether there are more flights over the border into northern England.

Two videos have been produced to illustrate the process of the eagle releases this year – the first video is about how the young eaglets are collected from their nests, and the second video explains what happens while the birds are being held in the aviaries up until the point of release. If you can ignore the tedious background muzac the content is very good: