Category: News

Third evidence session today on Wildlife & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill

As many of you know, the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs & Islands Committee is currently taking evidence from stakeholders as part of the Committee’s Stage 1 scrutiny of the Wildlife & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill.

For new blog readers, this is the Bill that has been introduced by the Scottish Government in response to the recommendations made in the 2019 Werritty Review and is designed to bring in licensing for grouse moor management and introduce measures to put an end to the illegal killing of birds of prey on grouse moors.

The first evidence session took place on 31st May 2023 and the Committee heard from members of the Scottish Government Bill Team, led by senior civil servant Hugh Dignon.

The second evidence session took place on 14th June 2023 and the Committee heard from members of the Werritty Review Group as well as a range of stakeholders. It was a fascinating session and I’ve quite a lot to say about it but I don’t intend to comment until later.

You can watch the second evidence session on Scottish Parliament TV (archived video here) and you can read the transcript here:

rural-affairs-committee-official-report-june-14-2023Download

The third evidence session (in a series of four) takes place today, starting at 9am in the Fleming Room at Holyrood. There will be two sub-sessions: the first one on grouse moor licensing and the second one on muirburn. The witnesses giving evidence in these two sub-sessions are as follows:

Grouse moor licensing:

Muirburn:

You can watch live on Scottish Parliament TV (here) or watch the video archive shortly afterwards via the same website. The official transcript will be available several days after the meeting and I’ll post it on this blog when it comes out.

The fourth and final session, scheduled for 28th June, will hear evidence from Mairi Gougeon, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands.

More gas guns positioned on another grouse moor in Yorkshire Dales National Park

I’ve recently been blogging about a number of mannequins (hen harrier scarers) that have been installed on a number of grouse moors in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Peak District National Park (here, here and here).

I also wrote about an active gas gun (a bird-scaring device designed to ‘boom’ loudly and intermittently), that had also been placed out on one of those grouse moors (here).

Another blog reader has now been in touch with photographs of two more gas guns that have been positioned on another grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, one out in the open and the other one set inside a grouse- shooting butt:

I’ve blogged about the use of gas guns to deter breeding hen harriers many times before, as has Mark Avery, which led to us seeking advice from SNH (now NatureScot) and Natural England for guidance for their use on grouse moors during the breeding season (see here).

The eventual advice from SNH (here) and Natural England (here) was unimpressive to say the least, although it was clear that if Schedule 1 birds (i.e. hen harriers) were present in the area, the user was advised to ‘ensure that gas guns are located so that they do not disturb breeding Schedule 1 birds. This includes all breeding stages from nest building through to young that are still dependant on the adult birds‘.

The difficulties associated with determining sufficient evidence to demonstrate a disturbance offence in this scenario was coherently examined by former Police Wildlife Crime Officer Alan Stewart on his blog (here), at least in terms of wildlife protection legislation in Scotland.

So here we are, seven years later, and this issue is still not resolved.

I’d also like to know how the firing of gas guns, and the installation of mannequins, on grouse moors during the hen harrier breeding season fits in with DEFRA’s ludicrous Hen Harrier Action Plan (and the associated hen harrier brood meddling trial), where we’re supposed to believe that grouse moor owners and their gamekeepers are all welcoming breeding hen harriers with open arms.

Incidentally, the gas guns photographed earlier this month on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (see above) just happen to be on the same grouse moor that was at at the centre of a police investigation in 2017 into the suspicious disappearance of a satellite-tagged hen harrier and another police investigation in 2020 into the alleged shooting of another hen harrier. Imagine that.

Another mannequin (hen harrier scarer), this time on a grouse moor in Peak District National Park

Last month I blogged about a number of mannequins (hen harrier scarers) that had been photographed on two separate grouse moors in the Yorkshire Dales National Park this year (see here and here).

Another blog reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) has sent in a photograph of another mannequin that’s been installed on another grouse moor, this time in the Peak District National Park:

A few people have commented on the purpose of these mannequins, rejecting the hypothesis that they’ve been installed to deter breeding hen harriers, even though one mannequin just happened to have been installed on the very hill slope where hen harriers had been prospecting just a few weeks prior to the installation of that particular mannequin. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I’m unconvinced given the grouse shooting industry’s continued intolerance of this species.

It’s been argued that the mannequins in the Yorkshire Dales National Park have been installed to deter ‘seagulls’ [sic] and someone suggested to me that this latest one in the Peak District National Park has been put there to deter ravens.

Maybe. But the point is, the deterrent effect is indiscriminate. Even if they have been installed to deter another species, a prospecting hen harrier is still going to take one look and move on. Job done.

Incidentally, that mannequin in the Yorkshire Dales National Park that suddenly appeared on the very slope where hen harriers had been nest prospecting – guess what? Two hen harrier nests close by have both failed, with the reported ‘disappearance’ of one of the males. Imagine that.

UPDATE 19th June 2013: More gas guns positioned on another grouse moor in Yorkshire Dales National Park (here)

High levels of rodenticide poisoning in barn owls leads to new rules about placement of bait outdoors

Press release from the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU), 12th June 2023:

ENDING USE OF SECOND-GENERATION ANTICOAGULANT RODENTICIDES BROMADIOLONE AND DIFENACOUM AWAY FROM BUILDINGS

Legal authorisation is being withdrawn for open area and waste dump use for the only two second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) currently allowed to be used that way, bromadiolone and difenacoum. This will take effect in July next year.

The change was instigated voluntarily by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK, with support to make the necessary amendments from UK biocides regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). CRRU Chairman Dr Alan Buckle states that the change was a unanimous decision by all CRRU Directors to help meet rodenticide stewardship’s environmental targets.

“A primary factor leading to this is the stubbornly static incidence of rodenticide residues in around 80 per cent of barn owls, the HSE-nominated sentinel species for annual surveillance,” he explains. “This change will enable a single clear message about SGAR use: None of these products can be applied away from buildings.”

Sales of products containing bromadiolone and difenacoum for use in open areas and at waste dumps will cease on 4 July 2024. These products purchased on or before that date will be authorised for use in open areas and waste dumps until 31 December 2024. After that, it will be illegal to use any SGAR product to treat a rodent infestation not associated with a building.

Manufacturers will change product label instructions accordingly and will continue to promote the application of integrated pest management practices among all rodenticide users. The CRRU Code of Best Practice offers a range of effective methods for rodent management away from buildings, including elimination of harbourage, food and water; lethal non-anticoagulant baits; and trapping, shooting and dogs.

At the beginning of the UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime the CRRU UK Board of Directors decided that manufacturers would not apply for authorisations for products containing the active substances brodifacoum, difethialone and flocoumafen to be used in ‘open areas’ and at ‘waste dumps’. This was because it considered that these high-potency anticoagulants were most likely to result in risk to wildlife when used in these scenarios. The CRRU board has now unanimously decided to extend this policy to products containing bromadiolone and difenacoum, thereby applying a consistent approach to all second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs).

There are two reasons for this. The first is that the previously excluded SGARs bromadiolone and difenacoum contribute significantly to the total burden of SGAR residues found in UK wildlife, and at the initiation of the regime it was a critical requirement set upon CRRU UK by the regulatory agency, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to reduce all SGAR residues in wildlife. The second reason is that there has been a recent and sudden increase in exposure of wildlife to products containing brodifacoum. It is considered that such an apparently recent and widespread increase can only be explained by use of this substance, contrary to label instructions, in the open countryside.

The new CRRU policy will permit a clear message to be put out to all UK SGAR users: none of them can be used anywhere away from buildings and such use is illegal and may be subject to prosecution.

The CRRU Board took this decision after carefully considering the availability of alternatives and finding that options exist for those needing to control rodents in open areas and at waste dumps. These include chemical and non-chemical methods, as well as lethal and non-lethal techniques, so that unavailability of SGARs for use away from buildings need not be detrimental either to human and animal health or the rural economy.

ENDS

New regulations proposed for release of gamebirds in Wales – your last chance to comment

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the Welsh Government’s statutory conservation agency, is running a public consultation on proposed new regulations for the release of non-native gamebirds (red-legged partridge and pheasants) in to the countryside.

The public consultation closes on Tuesday (20th June 2023) and anyone can contribute their view, you don’t have to live in Wales to participate.

The game shooting industry has reacted with typical hysteria, claiming that licensing regulations would threaten the rural economy and bring an end to gamebird shooting. Let’s just be clear – it won’t. What licensing will do (if it’s properly monitored and sanctions enforced), is begin to regulate the behaviour of the shooting industry that has, for so many years, been allowed to do what it likes, releasing significant numbers of non-native species into the countryside without giving any consideration to the environmental impact of such releases.

The unregulated release of non-native gamebirds in the UK countryside has gone on for far too long. Photo: Ruth Tingay

The conservation campaign group Wild Justice, who for the last few years has been at the forefront of challenging the unregulated release of millions of gamebirds in to the UK countryside, has provided a useful set of proposed responses to this consultation and is urging everyone to submit a response before the consultation closes on Tuesday.

You can either copy and paste Wild Justice’s proposed responses, or, preferably, use them to craft your own personalised response.

You can find all the information on Wild Justice’s blog here.

Red kite found shot in North York Moors National Park: police appeal for information

North Yorkshire Police has issued the following press statement:

APPEAL FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHOOTING OF A RED KITE

North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force is appealing for witnesses and information about the shooting of a Red Kite which happened near Westerdale, on the North York Moors. 

The Red Kite, which was suffering from gunshot wounds, was found by a member of the public on Tuesday 13 June. Despite being immediately taken to the vets it needed to be put to sleep due to the extent of its injuries. The wounds were fresh suggesting it had been shot recently.

It is against the law to intentionally kill, injure or take wild birds.

North Yorkshire Police is requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident. In particular anyone who witnessed shooting in the Westerdale area on either Monday 12 or Tuesday 13 June 2023.  

Anyone with information that could assist with this investigation should email Jack.donaldson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask to speak to Jack Donaldson.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230107850 when passing on information.

North Yorkshire has the highest incidence of raptor (birds of prey) persecution of any English county. The dedicated Rural Taskforce and specially-trained wildlife officers are committed to stopping these crimes and bringing offenders to justice.

Operation Owl is a joint initiative by North Yorkshire Police, RSPB, RSPCA and the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.

People can help by being their eyes and ears out on the moors and dales. If you spot a dead or injured bird, poisoned bait or a pole trap, please note the location, take a photo and call North Yorkshire Police on 101 to report it.

ENDS

I’m assuming this is the same red kite that was reported in the papers yesterday morning (here), although those reports had identified the location as ‘the Whitby area’, which is nowhere near Westerdale, but the time and date are the same.

Yesterday’s reports also stated the red kite had been found ‘in suspicious circumstances’. I don’t know who wrote that earlier report but it wasn’t at all helpful, accurate or informative.

The later press release from North Yorkshire Police, as reproduced above, is much better, especially the speed with which it’s been published. It’s also good to see the police provide some context to this crime, discussing Operation Owl, the extent of these crimes in this grouse shooting hell hole (supposedly a National Park), the types of evidence people may see, and what to do about it if they do see it.

It’s unlikely to lead to anyone coming forward though. There’ll be the usual wall of silence from the grouse-shooting community, who persistently refuse to provide any assistance in wildlife crime investigations, and it would be unusual if a member of the public had witnessed anything in such a remote landscape and been able to identify the person pulling the trigger.

Meanwhile, however, the pressure, and evidence, continues to mount on DEFRA Ministers to recognise that raptor persecution is a widespread issue and people are getting more and more pissed off that the shooting industry is allowed to get away with such blatant criminality, time and time and time again.

UPDATE 4th July 2023: 2nd red kite found shot nr Westerdale in North York Moors National Park in recent weeks, with suspicions of a third one (here)

UPDATE 9th October 2023: Buzzard shot & critically injured in North York Moors National Park (here)

Police appeal for witnesses as red kite found injured ‘in suspicious circumstances’ in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after the discovery of an injured red kite found ‘in suspicious circumstances’ in the Whitby area on Tuesday morning (13 June 2023).

The kite was later euthanised by vets due to the severity of its injuries.

Unfortunately no other details are available.

If you have any information in relation to this incident please contact PC 774 Jack Donaldson: jack.donaldson@northyorkshire.police.uk

UPDATE 17th June 2023: Red kite found shot in North York Moors National Park: police appeal for information (here).

Second trial underway for falconer charged with welfare offences relating to 90 eagles

In February this year, prominent falconer and eagle breeder Andrew Knowles Brown from Elvanfoot, Scotland was cleared of all charges at Lanark Sheriff Court in relation to the alleged mistreatment of ten imported White-bellied sea eagles at the Scottish Eagle Centre (see here).

That case was the first of two. For reasons that are unclear to me, charges relating to the welfare of another 90 eagles (here) were split into a second trial, which is now underway.

Andrew Knowles Brown and his associate, Alan Rothery, are alleged to have kept the eagles in enclosures which were too small, failed to provide the birds with natural light, failed to provide them with adequate water, denied them the ability to exhibit natural behaviours such as flying and bathing, and failed to protect the birds from injury, suffering and disease, between June-December 2019. Both have denied the charges.

The Scottish SSPCA started giving evidence at Lanark Sheriff Court on 8th June 2023 and will continue at the next hearing scheduled for 10th and 11th August 2023.

Knowles-Brown is a prominent figure in the falconry world, having served as the Chair of the Scottish Hawk Board and Vice-Chair of the UK Hawk Board. The Hawk Board, which includes a representative from the Countryside Alliance, represents falconers, hawk-keepers and falconry clubs and provides welfare guidelines for those keeping raptors in captivity. It also engages in political lobbying (e.g. it was against the Scottish Government’s decision to afford the Mountain Hare full legal protection) and Knowles-Brown himself has provided evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee when it was considering its draft Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill.

As the second court case is live, comments won’t be accepted on this blog until proceedings have concluded. Thanks for your understanding.

UPDATE 22 January 2024: Trial continues in Scotland for falconer charged with welfare offences relating to 90 eagles (here)

UPDATE 15 October 2024: Prominent falconer & eagle breeder Andrew Knowles-Brown guilty of welfare offences relating to approx 90 eagles in Scotland (here)

New report on economic & social impacts of driven grouse shooting: RSPB calls for licensing scheme in England

The RSPB is calling for the licensing of driven grouse shooting in England after the publication of a new report it commissioned on the economic and social impacts of future options for grouse moor management.

I haven’t had time to read the report yet, which examines the current policy of grouse moor management and then considers the likely outcomes of three future options (do nothing, bring in a licensing scheme, or impose a ban) but here’s the report in full as well as a shorter briefing document:

rspb-economics-of-driven-grouse-shooting-briefingDownload
rspb-economics-of-driven-grouse-shooting-full-reportDownload

The RSPB has also published two blogs today, summarising the report’s findings and offering an explanation for its preferred position on licensing rather than a ban:

Driven grouse shooting – what’s the cost? RSPB blog written by Dr Pat Thompson, RSPB’s Senior Uplands Policy Officer here.

Licensing driven grouse shooting: the case for change. RSPB blog written by Imogen Taylor, RSPB Policy Officer here.

The RSPB has also published a further short briefing document explaining why it thinks it’s ‘Time for Change’:

rspb-time-for-change-report-2023Download

New Environment Minister appointed to Scottish Government

First Minister Humza Yousaf has appointed a new Environment Minister to join the Scottish Government.

As you may recall, following Nicola Sturgeon’s exit, Yousaf’s Cabinet reshuffle in March 2023 resulted in the position of Environment Minister being dropped, after he promoted the former Environment Minister (Mairi McAllan) to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition (see here).

Consequently, Mairi McAllan’s Environment portfolio then appeared to have been dumped on Mairi Gougeon’s plate, which was already full as her portfolio as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands was also expanded to include Land Reform.

It looks like somebody’s finally had a word with Yousaf because today he gave the Environment portfolio to Gillian Martin MSP, who was already serving in the newly-created office of Energy Minister (although not without controversy, for very different reasons – here and here).

Gillian’s specific responsibilities as Energy and Environment Minister haven’t yet been updated on the Government website (here) but it is clear that she will play a supporting role to Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon.

The Wildlife & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, seeking to deliver grouse moor reform, will probably feature prominently in her first year in office so there’ll be a great deal of interest in Gillian’s performance in this new role.

UPDATE 26th June 2023: New Scottish Environment Minister’s responsibilities include wildlife management and wildlife crime (here).