Category: News

Scottish Government ‘aware’ of issues with new grouse moor licences

Further to the news that Scotland’s new grouse moor licences have already been significantly weakened thanks to legal threats from the grouse shooting industry (see here, here, here and here for background), a blog reader wrote to the Scottish Government to express concern about the restriction in the area now covered by the licence.

This has changed from covering an entire grouse-shooting estate (as initially and reasonably interpreted by NatureScot) to just an unaccetably small part of an estate where red grouse are ‘shot or taken’, which effectively on a driven grouse moor could mean an area around a row of shooting butts.

Grouse moor photo by Richard Cross. Annotation by RPUK

That blog reader has kindly given permission to publish the response received from the Scottish Government’s Wildlife Management Unit:

It’s good to see a formal, public response from the Scottish Government who, up until now, has kept quiet since the news broke about the shambolic new licence condition a few weeks ago.

In its response, the Government uses the same phrasing that NatureScot did in terms of having an ‘expectation’ that the new licensed area would cover the full extent of the grouse moor. As I mentioned previously when NatureScot expressed the same ‘expectation’, I don’t believe this has any legal weight whatsoever because what matters here is the wording of the legislation, not what NatureScot or the Government ‘expects’ to happen.

The Government’s response also doubles down on NatureScot’s claim that the new condition is ‘legally robust‘ and acts as ‘a strong deterrent to wildlife crime‘.

The new condition may well be legally robust (although we don’t know that for sure because NatureScot is yet to release the legal advice it received prior to making this change to the licence) but what it most certainly isn’t is ‘a strong deterrent to wildlife crime‘. It’s nothing of the sort, for all the reasons I discussed here.

What is good about this response though is that the Government understands that the licensing scheme is not having ‘the intended effect‘ of the Scottish Parliament when the legislation was passed in March. That’s a start.

There’s a lot happening behind the scenes to address the ‘vast loophole‘ that’s been left by NatureScot’s flawed attempt at plugging the chasm. I can’t say anything further at the moment but rest assured this issue is receiving close attention from a number of influential and knowledgeable people.

UPDATE 24 January 2025: NatureScot capitulated on grouse moor licensing after legal threats by game-shooting industry (here)

UPDATE 10 February 2025: Parliamentary questions lodged on grouse moor licensing shambles in Scotland (here)

UPDATE 3 November 2025: Breaking news – Scottish Government commits to closing loophole on sabotaged grouse moor licences (here)

Glen Turret Estate under new management – ecological restoration is in, grouse shooting is out

Some good news to start the week!

At the recent REVIVE conference in Perthshire I met a couple of people from a relatively new Scottish-based charity called the KITH Trust, who, along with the University of Edinburgh, had earlier this year bought the Glen Turret Estate in Strathbraan, Perthshire.

Approximate location of Glen Turret Estate in Perthshire

Regular blog readers will know that Strathbraan is dominated by a number of estates with driven grouse moors and the area has been identified in a Government-commissioned report as being a hotspot for raptor persecution. It’s also the area where NatureScot (formerly SNH) licensed a controversial raven cull in 2018 (see here) but then came under fire from its own scientific advisory committee who stated the scientific rigour of the licence was “completely inadequate“.

Glen Turret Estate has been at the centre of police investigations into alleged wildlife crime over a period of many years (no prosecutions or General Licence restrictions, natch) so the news that it is under new management and no longer operating as a driven grouse moor is very welcome indeed.

This should mean an end to the use of things like crow-cage traps, commonly deployed [legally!] on grouse moors in all seasons, where non-target species like this Long-eared owl can no longer be caught and held for over 24 hrs in appalling weather conditions (photo by RSPB).

This screengrab shows the new ownership details, from Andy Wightman’s brilliant website, Who Owns Scotland:

This map shows the boundary of the area under Kith Trust management, in addition to the Barvick Burn Wood, now under the management of the University of Edinburgh:

The Kith Trust has kindly provided some information about its plans, for publication on this blog:

The KITH Trust (SC049902), a small Scottish family run charity, took on stewardship of Glenturret Estate in January 2024 in partnership with the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability at The University of Edinburgh to facilitate their similar goals of ecological restoration.

KITH Trust is dedicated to restoring and protecting natural ecosystems and supporting biodiversity as well as supporting local community activities and enterprise.

The University intends to fence off part of the estate for a mixed tree planting scheme. They have carried out a community engagement project, archaeological surveys and ecological surveys to ensure any activities are undertaken to work with the natural environment and local communities.

KITH Trust has stewardship of the remainder, mainly hill ground. This land has historically been dedicated to the preservation of red grouse. This practice is no longer a primary aim of Glenturret Estate and it no longer operates as a driven grouse moor. There is a farming enterprise on Glenturret that has been in operation for many years. One of the aims of KITH is to reduce, over time, grazing pressure through farming practices that look after both agriculture and the environment. Another is to restore peatland areas. As a result natural regeneration is supported. Active deer management will be undertaken in collaboration with other members of the South Perthshire Deer Management Group and in conjunction with Nature Scot.

ENDS

The University of Edinburgh has a useful website outlining its plans for the restoration of Barvick Burn Wood here.

No doubt certain organisations from the grouse shooting sector will be very unhappy at the loss of another driven grouse moor and over the coming months/years will be misrepresenting the ecological restoration work, just as they have done with other rewilding efforts (e.g. here).

Some of us don’t want to wait for the buy-out of individual driven grouse moors, we’d like to see a widespread ban on driven grouse shooting sooner rather than later. If you share that view, please sign the new petition from Wild Justice calling for a ban – HERE.

Another man arrested in coordinated police investigation into illegal trading of wild birds’ eggs

It turns out that the news last week that South Yorkshire Police had executed a search warrant and arrested a 57-year-old man in connection with the illegal trading of wild birds’ eggs (here) was only one small part of a much wider operation.

It has now become apparent that there were other warrants executed at addresses across the UK on the same day (21 November 2024) and the latest report comes from an Essex Police press release (dated 28 November) as follows:

BENFLEET: MAN ARRESTED AND WILD BIRDS EGGS SEIZED

A man has been arrested and thousands of wild birds eggs seized during a warrant carried out by our Wildlife Crime specialists within our Rural Engagement Team in Benfleet.

Officers attended an address on Thursday 21 November as part of co-ordinated activity across the UK to tackle the illegal trade in wild bird eggs, with similar warrants taking place elsewhere.

Thousands of eggs were seized and a 62 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing wild bird eggs illegally in contravention of Section One of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

He has since been released on bail until 25 January.

Drawers full of wild birds’ eggs seized during the raid in Essex. Photo: Essex Police

Our investigation has fallen out from an investigation into the theft and sale of bird eggs which originated in Norway in June 2023.

Since then, more than a dozen warrants have been carried out, more than 56,000 bird eggs seized, and more than a dozen arrests and charges in Norway.

ENDS

I’m aware of other warrants that were executed on the same day in other UK counties, as part of the same police operation, but unfortunately the police’s media teams are not as coordinated as their raid teams so we’ll have to wait to find out the details, when/if further news is released by individual police forces.

Nevertheless, this looks to have been a well-resourced operation and was obviously based on good intelligence, judging by the results released so far. Well done to the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) for taking the lead.

Ruabon Moor gamekeeper prosecution – why the case was discontinued

Earlier this year I blogged about the prosecution of a gamekeeper from Ruabon Moor, near Wrexham, Wales in relation to wildlife crime offences alleged to have been committed in 2022: Using a trap to kill or take a wild bird and possession of an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence.

The first court hearing was heard at Wrexham Magistrates Court on 28 March 2024 but by April 2024 the case had been discontinued without public explanation (see here).

The circumstances of this case, and the reason it was discontinued, have now been reported in the RSPB’s 2023 Birdcrime Report (page 25), reproduced here:

Hawk trap in Wales – case discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service

In March 2022, an RSPB Investigations Officer discovered a large cage trap in an area of private woodland bordering Ruabon Moor, near Wrexham, Wales.

The trap consisted of two compartments, one lower section contained two live Magpies and one upper section fitted with a trigger-mechanism door. Decoy birds, such as Magpies, are often used lawfully in cage traps to attract other Magpies which perch on the trigger mechanism, causing the trap door to close on them and they are then dispatched under license by the trap operator. However, the design of this trap gave concern – notably the thickness of the trigger perch – which was considered only capable of being triggered by a large and heavy bird, likely one with a greater mass than a Magpie or Carrion Crow.

It was decided that the cage trap was interesting enough for the RSPB to deploy remote surveillance cameras. Whilst it is unknown who placed the trap, the subsequent footage obtained showed an individual attending the trap and no one else. On the final RSPB visit, all three RSPB cameras and the trap had gone. Interestingly, Goshawks were noted in the area during the RSPB visits, a species that is slowly expanding its range and increasing in numbers, after years of persecution nationally.

The RSPB reported the trap to North Wales Police and shared the footage which had been gathered. A police investigation was launched and the individual in the footage was subsequently identified and charged by the police with offences relating to the possession and use of the trap. The case reached court, but in March 2024 was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), on the grounds that it was not in the public interest to prosecute, as the penalties for any subsequent conviction were low, there were potential identification issues and that no birds had been seen to have been killed.

RSPB, North Wales Police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit were surprised at this outcome and questioned the decision directly with the Chief Crown Prosecutor for England and Wales. The matter was passed to CPS Wales and Iwan Jenkins, the Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for Wales, who in a letter stated: “I believe that in this case the decision not to proceed should have been the subject of further discussion.” He continued “The matter required more detailed discussion and consideration before arriving at the final decision.” Sadly, by then it was too late.

It is unknown what the trap was being used for, or what the outcome of the case would have been if it had progressed, but as a result of the CPS decision not to prosecute the defendant is now fully cleared of any wrongdoing. Going forward, it is hoped that much better dialogue can be achieved between prosecutors and the specialist agencies who spend valuable resources investigating wildlife related incidents.

ENDS

The RSPB’s 2023 Birdcrime report can be found here.

Golden eagle dies in rare collision with wind turbine in south Scotland

The South Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP) has today announced the death of a young golden eagle after it collided with a wind turbine in Galloway in August this year.

The bird was a three-year old male called ‘Sparky’. He wasn’t one of the eagles translocated to south Scotland from the north by the SSGEP, but rather he fledged from one of the few remaining nests in south Scotland prior to the translocation project, but was carrying a satellite tag provided by that project, which helped in the swift recovery of his corpse.

Of course, Sparky’s death from collision with a turbine blade is a tragedy, but it’s important to view it from a broad perspective.

Golden eagle mortality from wind turbine collisions in Scotland is, thankfully, a rare occurrence. That’s not down to luck, or chance. It’s largely to do with detailed wind farm planning and choosing areas for turbines that are not located in habitats preferred by golden eagles.

A group of expert golden eagle ecologists, collaborating under an umbrella organisation called the Golden Eagle Satellite Tag Group (GESTG) has developed several models to predict significant areas of topographical use by golden eagles based on thousands of satellite tag records. The most recent model, called the GET (Golden Eagle Topographical) model, is now commonly used in Environmental Impact Assessments for judging the potential impact on golden eagles by proposed new wind farm sites across Scotland, and it works pretty well.

As an illustrative example, here is an image showing the movements of a satellite-tagged golden eagle that Chris Packham and I are tracking in the Monadhliath Mountains, on the western edge of the Cairngorms National Park. The red lines show the eagle’s movements around the footprint of three large windfarms and you can see that avoidance behaviour by the eagle is quite clear. (Thanks to Dr Alan Fielding for the data analysis and map).

This eagle’s avoidance strategy is not uncommon. Peer-reviewed scientific research papers by the GESTG have demonstrated that both young, dispersing non-territorial satellite-tagged golden eagles (here), as well as older territorial satellite-tagged eagles (here) will generally avoid wind farms if they have not been sited in prime golden eagle habitat.

I don’t know much about the Environmental Impact Assessment undertaken for the Windy Rig Wind Farm in Galloway where Sparky was killed but it’s probably worth noting that it was consented in 2017 (and became operational in 2022) at a time when there were very few golden eagles in south Scotland so perhaps golden eagle collision risk wasn’t assessed to be high.

I fully expect the death of Sparky to be pounced upon by the raptor persecution deniers within the game-shooting industry, who will no doubt be jumping up and down, pointing fingers and announcing, ‘There! See? We told you that wind farms are killing golden eagles, it’s not us gamekeepers“, as they’ve been doing for years, for example this headline from 2017:

Alas, for them, the scientific evidence simply doesn’t support their claims (read the two linked papers above and also see Chapter 8 of the authoritative 2017 report by Drs Fielding & Whitfield: Analysis of the Fates of Satellite Tracked Golden Eagles in Scotland, where the authors examined whether any of the 41 tagged eagles that had ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances were within the vicinity of a wind farm (spoiler alert – no, they weren’t, but illegal killing on a number of grouse moors was indicated).

Raptor collisions at wind farms has been a huge problem in some countries, notably in the USA at Altamont Pass in California where a long network of turbines was installed along the very ridgeline that migrating golden eagles use to take advantage of wind updrafts as they fly south. Anti-wind farm campaigners often point to these sites and assume that just because many golden eagles were killed at sites such as Altamont, it must mean that golden eagles are being killed at other wind farm sites. That’s simplistic nonsense, but some from the grouse-shooting industry have jumped on this to try and deflect attention away from the illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning of golden eagles that goes on in Scotland.

But it doesn’t wash anymore, and thank goodness the Scottish Government saw through the propaganda when it made the decision to introduce a grouse moor licensing scheme a couple of years ago.

That’s not to say that we should be unconcerned about golden eagles colliding with turbines – of course it needs to be monitored and the imminent construction of even more on-shore turbines needs to be carefully curated to ensure they’re built in the most appropriate locations, but thanks to ongoing satellite tag data analysis by experts in the GESTG, those potential impacts can be minimised.

A landmark day in Scotland as snare ban commences

It’s a landmark day in Scotland as the new snare ban commences.

A full ban on the use of snares was passed by the Scottish Parliament in March 2024 as part of the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act (here) and the ban finally takes effect today, 25 November 2024.

This is a significant victory for animal welfare campaigners, especially the League Against Cruel Sports, OneKind and Scottish Badgers, but also many others, who have spent decades putting forward evidence that these devices, recently and cynically named ‘humane cable restraints’ by the game-shooting industry, are actually cruel, indiscriminate and inhumane and have no place in modern society.

Campaigners from OneKind & Scottish Badgers join MSPs to celebrate. Photo: OneKind

The game-shooting industry did its best to disrupt the commencement date. A consortium of the usual suspects (Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Gamekeepers Association, Scottish Countryside Alliance, BASC Scotland, Scotland’s Regional Moorland Groups and the Scottish Association for Country Sports), joined this time by the National Farmers Union of Scotland, wrote an overly-dramatic letter in October to the Convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs & Islands Committee to complain about the commencement of the ban.

They suggested that the principles behind the snare ban had ‘not been afforded the customary levels of parliamentary scrutiny’ (even though this subject has been a topic of political debate and public consultation for at least 15 years!), and they complained that Ministers hadn’t conducted a Business & Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) prior to the commencement of the snare ban, and they strongly suggested that this should afford a delay to the commencement of the ban.

The Committee duly wrote to Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie, who dismissed the concerns:

Letter from Fairlie_Wildlife Bill Prohibition of the use of snares 25 October 2024Download

As of today, the use of snares in Scotland is unlawful. If you find one, take a photograph of it in situ, record the location and report it immediately to Police Scotland and/or the Scottish SPCA. Ask for a reference code so you can follow up on what action was taken, especially if it was found on a grouse-shooting estate (a set snare is a breach of the new licence).

You might decide you want to cut/destroy the unlawful snare. The law on this is murky and open to interpretation. If you are concerned that the snare will remain set/operational and the police/SSPCA can’t attend for some time, I’d suggest your best option (to protect wildlife and to protect yourself from potential legal action) is to advise the police/SSPCA what you intend to do and the reason for that decision, BEFORE you do it. NB: This is not formal legal advice – you are responsible for your own actions!

Warrant executed in connection to illegal trading of wild birds’ eggs

Press release from South Yorkshire Police:

WARRANT EXECUTED IN CONNECTION TO ILLEGAL TRADING OF BIRDS’ EGGS

On Thursday 21 November 2024, officers executed a warrant in the Thurnscoe area for offences relating to illegal wildlife trading.

An illegal haul of wild birds’ eggs. NB: NOT connected to this investigation. Photo by RSPB

The operation was supported by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), who worked alongside our motorcycle and rural crime team, neighbourhood officers and other specialist roles including search officers and digital media investigators.

This warrant was part of a wider operation, co-ordinated in the UK by the NWCU to tackle international organised illegal wildlife trade, specifically the taking, possessing, and trading of wild bird’s eggs.

A recent report from the UN office on drugs and crimes explains how some of the species most affected by wildlife crime – like rare orchids, succulent plants, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals – receive little public attention, though wildlife trafficking appears to have played a major role in their local or global extinctions.

Beyond the direct threat to the population of species posed by wildlife trafficking, this crime type can also disrupt delicate ecosystems and their functions and processes – including their ability to help stabilize the climate and mitigate climate change.

Wildlife crime also threatens the socioeconomic benefits people derive from nature, including as a source of income, employment, food, medicine, culture, and more. It further corrodes good governance and the rule of law through corruption, money-laundering and illicit financial flows.

Detective Inspector Harrison from NWCU said “The taking, possessing, and trading of wild bird eggs is illegal and overall, it is believed that these crimes are less common than they were. However, clearly it still goes on and as the overall number of birds is declining it can be argued that this crime has an even greater impact now than it did years ago.

“These criminals are very well organised and connected. The rarer a species is, the higher its demand and value to these criminals. Policing is under pressure now with competing demands and priorities. In amongst that work, it is important that we can still take action to protect our wildlife.

“I can`t thank the police officers, staff, and partners enough for their help and support during this operation. The investigation is ongoing and there is more work to do but this sends out a strong message to all wildlife criminals. If anyone has information regarding any suspected wildlife crime, they should contact their local police force.”

As our efforts to crackdown on Wildlife and Rural crime continue, Chief Inspector Peter Spratt added: “This warrant is just one example of the ongoing work to strengthen our fight against both wildlife and rural crime.

“In addition to enforcement activity on the frontline, we have invested in training over 40 additional officers to deal with these types of offences and continue to develop better connections with rural communities and creating a stronger force against those intent on committing wildlife and rural crimes in South Yorkshire.

“To support our ongoing work, I urge anyone with information about wildlife or rural crime, or who sees any suspicious behaviour, to contact us as we are stronger with your help”.

As part of the warrant, a 57 year-old man was arrested and has since been released on police bail.

ENDS

UPDATE 1st December 2024: Another man arrested in coordinated police investigation into illegal trading of wild birds’ eggs (here)

Lincolnshire man faces trial in relation to poisoned red kite & buzzards

Further to the blog on 30 September 2024 (here) and 17 October 2024 (here), a trial date has been set for a Lincolnshire man in relation to the discovery of a poisoned red kite and two buzzards between 2017 and 2022.

Buzzard photo by Ruth Tingay

John Bryant, 40, of West Ashby, Horncastle, appeared at Boston Magistrates Court on 20 November 2024 where he pleaded not guilty to two charges of using a trap to kill or take a wild bird, six charges of possessing an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence, and two charges of contravening health & safety regulations.

Mr Bryant was released on unconditional bail and a trial date was set for 6 March 2025.

NB: As this case is live comments are turned off until criminal proceedings have concluded.

UPDATE 12 March 2025: Lincolnshire gamekeeper guilty of multiple offences in relation to deaths of red kite and buzzards (here)

Petition to ban driven grouse shooting passes 10,000 signatures

On Friday afternoon, Wild Justice’s new petition calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting was launched.

It reached it’s first target of 10,000 signatures at 8am this morning. This means the new Labour Government will have to respond. That’ll be interesting!

If you look at the associated map, so far signatures have come from every single parliamentary constituency across the UK except for three:

Airdrie & Shotts

Uxbridge & South Ruislip

West Ham & Beckton

It’s also very noticeable that the constituencies with the highest level of support so far include areas where driven grouse shooting is prominent. This mirrors the results of previous petitions on this subject.

Ten thousand signatures is an excellent milestone to reach, but we’re not finishing there. We want a parliamentary debate and for that we need 100,000 signatures.

If you can help reach this target please sign the petition HERE.

Thank you!

Suzanne Hall, wife & mother of convicted peregrine launderers ‘no longer a serving police officer’

Last week I blogged about the status of a fraud allegation against Suzanne Hall, a serving police officer and the wife and mother of convicted peregrine launderers Timothy and Lewis Hall (see here for background).

Young peregrines at a nest site in Scotland. Photo (taken under licence) by Ruth Tingay

There was uncertainty about whether Hall’s fraud trial had been dropped and efforts to confirm the status of the prosecution with the Crown Office and Jedburgh Sheriff Court proved fruitless.

Thanks to the blog reader who today sent me a copy of an article that was published in the Border Telegraph on 20 Nov 2024, there is now some clarification. Here’s what the article said:

FRAUD CHARGE DROPPED

A former police officer accused of a fraud involving almost £10,000 has walked free after the charge was dropped. Forty-six-year-old Suzanne Hall had been charged with telling Scottish Borders Council she had just moved into her home at Lamberton Holdings, in Berwickshire, with her family in December 2020.

The charge had alleged it had been her sole or main residence sine August 2015, and she was due the local authority £9,613 in back dated council tax.

Hall had pleaded not guilty to the charge and a trial date had been fixed for Tuesday [19 Nov 2024] at Jedburgh Sheriff Court with an intermediate hearing on November 4.

But the case did not call on November 4 and the trial was cancelled.

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “It is the duty of the Crown to keep cases under review, and following full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, the Procurator Fiscal decided that there should be no further criminal proceedings at this time.

“The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future should further evidence become available“.

The fraud charge originated from a police raid on her home in May 2021 in relation to the illegal sale of peregrine falcons.

Hall – who was a serving police officer at the time – initially faced wildlife charges but her pleas of not guilty were accepted by the Crown in December 2023.

The fraud charge remained outstanding but has now been dropped for the time being.

Police Scotland confirmed this week she is no longer a serving officer.

ENDS