Tag: scottish parliament

roseanna cunningham – we salute you!

Scottish Environment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, has today made clear her intention to address the on-going problem of illegal raptor persecution.

Speaking to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee as they continue to discuss Stage 1 of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill (WaNE), she said she intends to bring in an ammendment to Stage 2 of the discussion that would create a new ‘vicarious liability’ offence that would target those who control or manage others who are involved in criminal raptor persecution.

She said:

“Increased awareness and condemnation appears to be doing little to bring down the number of illegal bird poisonings in Scotland. Official figures show that 16 birds of prey were poisoned in the first six months of this year and I find this extremely disappointing.

We have robust legislation in place to tackle this sort of crime but tougher action has to be taken to deter those who think that they can get away with persecuting our wildlife.

I don’t want to unfairly target any particular group and I will be engaging with stakeholders over the coming weeks to make sure that they know what we are trying to achieve with this amendment.

We have a duty to protect our birds of prey as they are an integral part of our national identity. They also help our economy by attracting tourists from across the world and we cannot afford to have our international reputation tarnished by the few who continue to target them illegally.”

Roseanna Cunningham deserves recognition for making this move. Many conservation groups have lobbied for the introduction of vicarious liability for several years, but many of the gamekeeping and landowning groups have vehemently opposed it (hmm, I wonder why?), and especially Sheriff Drummond, who was quite entertaining when he recently presented his views against introducing it at the WaNE bill committee meeting in Holyrood.

It’s still not a certainty that the ammendment will be accepted, but at least it’s on the table.

Well done, Roseanna Cunningham.

Government press release here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/11/03110045

However, before we all get carried away…there are disturbing reports circulating about the failure to investigate the two poisoned eagles (one golden eagle and one sea eagle) that were found on an estate near Inverness in June (see blog report Oct 13). More on these reports shortly…

eagle killers getting away with it: Skibo update

Given the deafening silence on the progress of the Skibo case (see blog report 12 May 2010, where it was reported that three golden eagles, one sparrowhawk and one buzzard had been found on the Skibo Estate in north Scotland), we’ve done some digging around.

Last month (see blog post 20 September 2010), we noted that the results from the toxicology investigation on the dead birds had not been made public. We also noted that the results of the police investigation had not been made public. Infact, since the police raid in early May, the only press coverage was that on 21 June 2010, where Skibo gamekeeper Dean Barr had accused the RSPB of planting the dead birds: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2010/06/21/gamekeeper-at-skibo-estate-probed-after-three-golden-eagles-are-found-dead-86908-22348349/

We have discovered that the three golden eagles and one sparrowhawk  had all been killed by eating poisoned baits, according to scientific analysis undertaken by government scientists. Their results conclude that two of the golden eagles, plus one sparrowhawk were killed by the banned pesticide Carbofuran. They state the third golden eagle was killed by the banned pesticide Aldicarb. Click here for the SASA report detailing these incidents: SASA poisoning positive results 2010

Given the confirmation that these  raptors that were found dead on Skibo Estate in May 2010 had been killed by illegal poisons, it is worrying that there has been no formal notification of any charges brought against anybody for these crimes.

Does this mean that, along with every other single case of eagle persecution in this country, the eagle killer(s) in the Skibo case will be getting away with it?

It is perhaps timely that the WaNE bill is currently being reviewed by the Scottish parliament. Measures proposed in that bill will, if implemented, help to stop these criminals getting away with murdering our iconic birds of prey. For example, if the concept of vicarious liability is accepted, then the Estate Owner/Manager will take full legal responsibility for the actions of their staff.

Right now, nobody takes responsibility and we’re all sick of reading these news stories about yet another eagle/kite/buzzard/peregrine/goshawk/osprey/sparrowhawk/tawny owl/hen harrier/kestrel being persecuted.

Hogg-wash and the WANE Bill at Langholm.

As most readers of this blog will be aware the Scottish Government introduced the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) bill to parliament on 9th June 2010.

The purpose of this bill is to modernise game law, abolish the designation ‘areas of special protection’, improve snaring practice, regulate invasive non-native species, change the licensing system for protected species, amend current arrangements for deer management and deer stalking, strengthen protection of badgers, change how muirburn can be practised, and make operational changes to the management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

The bill (as introduced) can be seen here.

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/52-WildNatEnv/b52s3-introd.pdf

The Rural Affairs and Environment Committee has been appointed the lead committee to scrutinise the bill and as such has called on various bodies to provide views on the general principles of the bill.

Written submissions can be read here.

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/rae/bills/WANE/writtensubmissions.htm

Naturally the most important issue on this bill, from a raptor conservation aspect, will be any change to the licensing system for protected species which could theoretically pave the way for the licensed killing of raptors in Scotland.

In a change to the usual passage of such bills the 18th meeting was held in The Buccleuch Centre in Langholm on 7th September 2010 . A full transcript of the meeting can be viewed here.

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/rae/or-10/ru10-1802.htm#Col2967

(The most relevant discussion involving raptors commences at col 2991)

Alex Hogg (chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association) had much to say on the subject of the licensed killing of raptors and ravens. Mr Hogg pleaded his case saying –

I only have a problem with young rogue buzzards. If I could deal with those specific ones, the problem would stop, I am quite sure. A lot of money would be lost to the rural economy if every shoot in Scotland ended up losing poults. A pheasant poult is worth the same as a lamb—it is worth about £35 when it is shot, and that is a huge amount of income for the rural economy. All that we are asking for is something to deal with specific rogue birds. We do not feel that a huge number would be involved,

Mr Hogg forgot to mention that his last application to the Scottish Government was to kill 12 buzzards on his estate alone, is that a few rogues? And that multiplied by the number of shooting estates in Scotland! Mr Hogg also omitted to expand upon his valuation of his pheasant poults. On an average pheasant shoot the number of pheasants shot is (optimistically) around 50% of the number of poults released so Mr Hogg’s pheasant poult is actually worth £17.50 As he already stated that his employers shoot is a small family operation, i.e. non commercial, it could be argued that they are in fact worth considerably less.

Mr Hogg went on to comment about the “fantastic”number of raptors in Scotland. He obviously fails to mention the vast tracts of Scotland’s uplands where raptors could be expected to be found, but invariably aren’t, these areas being generally termed “grouse moors”

  We have worked hard to reduce wildlife crime, and anybody who is caught poisoning any birds of prey will be thrown out of the SGA. Nevertheless, I point out that the numbers of birds of prey in Scotland are at a fantastic high. We have 440 pairs of golden eagles and more than 700 pairs of harriers, whereas there is nothing in England at all. Our raptor population has not stopped rising since the 1960s. The incidence of bird poisoning rose last year, but I am sure that, through peer pressure over the next couple of years, it will go down to nearly zero, although we will not get rid of poisoning. It is like rape and murder—it will always be there. We will try our hardest to drive it out of the country. However, we also need some means of managing the raptor population, the raven population or whatever population we are trying to balance with our work in the countryside.

Mr Hogg is often telling us that poisoned raptors are planted on shooting estates and gamekeepers are blameless scapegoats, therefore it’s hard to understand why he thinks that peer pressure will stop raptor poisoning. Is this an admission that gamekeepers are carrying out raptor persecution crimes?

Mr Hogg’s finale was his roadmap to stop wildlife crime in Scotland which can basically be summarised as “give me my licence to shoot buzzards and wildlife crime is a thing of the past” !

  I feel that wildlife crime would stop in the next two or three years if we could address the question that Mike Russell asked, which was how many is too many. How many hen harriers does Langholm need? How many raptors, ravens, rabbits or whatever does an estate need? An estate needs to be managed and kept in balance with nature. It is dead easy to make a political decision about enforcement—to say, “We should jail people for 20 years”—but we should try to get people around a table to try to get them to come to a commonsense solution that everyone will benefit from. People who are involved in wildlife tourism, grouse shooting and the private estates all want the same thing, so we must be able to get around a table and thrash out the issues until we get an answer.

Is anyone fooled by Alex Hogg’s apparent willingness to negotiate? Certainly, the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee asked some very well-informed and revealing questions.  Mr Hogg and the SGA appear to be desperately trying to drum up some support for the licensed killing of raptors. We can only hope that the committee recognises and appreciates the damage that this proposed legislation could cause Scotland’s reputation across the world as an environmentally responsible, modern and forward thinking country.

Hogg Wash…

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association website is always an entertaining read. Whether it’s Alex Hogg, that self styled guardian of the countryside, promoting the idea of law abiding gamekeepers becoming special constables or discussing whether Scotland or Ireland is the most likely place for eagles to be poisoned.  It’s like a tweed clad version of the ministry of misinformation.

I particularly look forward to the rather infrequent entries in our old friend Alex Hogg’s blog. In this most recent entry on “Hogg Blog” ,Alex tells us of his continuing battle with the Scottish Government over licences to kill buzzards and his apparent disbelief and frustration that he will not be granted a licence to kill these pesky birds that  have the audacity to eat a few of his pheasants. I can’t imagine why he sounds so surprised as none other than the Environment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham had announced this fact weeks ago.

It seems incredible that in a modern forward thinking country, in this International Year of Biodiversity and with Scotland’s shocking record of raptor persecution that the legalised killing of raptors should be on anyone’s agenda.  Anyway, here’s his entry for 4th Aug 2010 a mere 12 days after the RSPB announced that 2009 had been the worst year for raptor persecution for 20 years.

Its buzzard central here and they’re not just predating the release pens. Only an hour ago I watched one fly off with a poult it killed within a few yards of the garage beside my house and I’m pulling my hair out with frustration.

We put in every possible deterrent and I really thought the problem wasn’t going to be so bad this year but the last week has been a nightmare. So on Friday I contacted the local Government office and asked inspectors to come and see the problem and issue a licence to control the buzzards that are doing most of the killing. They came yesterday (four days later) and heard and saw the menace for themselves. At one point we could hardly hear ourselves speak for the noise the birds were making.

But the officials confirmed what we have suspected for the last six weeks: that despite the SGA negotiating the conditions for the issue of such licences with Government at numerous meetings over the past year, the process has come to an abrupt halt. No licences will be forthcoming. No matter how severe the problem.

What the hell do I do now?

 

My goodness Alex, it looks like you’ll be trawling ebay for a set of ear defenders and a wig.

Roseanna Cunningham Quizzed over proposed licences to kill buzzards

Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham was asked some pretty incisive questions by Rhona Brankin MSP during parliamentary questions and answers on Wednesday 16th June 2010.

Questions were asked in relation to the mass rearing and release of pheasants and red legged partridges, the value of these birds, the value of Scotland’s biodiversity and natural heritage, the persecution of buzzards, applications for licences to kill buzzards, and the status of the goshawk and sparrowhawk in Scotland etc.

Full details of the parliamentary question and answer session can be found here: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-10/wa0616.htm#2

Questions and answers regarding raptors and game birds are listed below. Apologies for the long post but it’s well worth a read.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S3W-33201 by Richard Lochhead on 30 April 2010, what particular species of pheasant it considers to be naturally occurring in Scotland and what the taxonomic basis is for this view.

(S3W-34201)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The common pheasant (phasianus colchicus) has been breeding in the wild in Scotland for hundreds of years.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  whether it considers (a) biodiversity and (b) the natural heritage to have intrinsic value.

(S3W-34231)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The Scottish Government considers that there are two important ways in which the Scottish people derive benefit from biodiversity and the natural heritage. In the first place, significant value is derived from user benefits, ranging from ecosystem services such as water purification and nutrient recycling, to the pleasure provided by visiting natural areas and seeing plants and animals. In addition, although it less readily susceptible to quantification or analysis, we recognise that for a variety of moral or precautionary reasons, many people also place significant value on the simple existence of natural heritage and biodiversity.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  whether it considers that buzzards are subject to deliberate ill-treatment in areas where pheasants are released for shooting.

(S3W-34188)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

Buzzards are widespread and frequently the victims of wildlife crime. It is likely that at least some of this wildlife crime will be associated with pheasant rearing.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive , should large numbers of licence applications to kill protected predatory birds meet guidance requirements for approval, what contingency plans exist to prevent a reduction in the population of the protected species being killed.

(S3W-34189)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

We would not expect a large number of applications to be approved. No application would be approved that threatens the conservation status of the species concerned. The detail of any further guidelines is yet to be finalised.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive , should large numbers of licence applications to kill protected predatory birds meet guidance requirements for approval, what contingency plans exist to prevent a reduction in the capacity of the population to continue its expansion to previous natural levels.

(S3W-34190)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34189 on 16 June 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what contingency plans exist should evidence of illegal killing arise in or near sites subject to applications for licences to kill predatory birds in order to protect game birds released to be shot.

(S3W-34191)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The detail of any further guidelines is yet to be finalised but it should be a condition of any licence that it could be withdrawn if there was evidence of illegal activity.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what proportion of released pheasant poults survive to such an age that they are shot as part of a commercial operation.

(S3W-34192)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what estimates it is aware of regarding the total number of pheasant poults released each year.

(S3W-34193)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. UK figures quoted by the GWCT state that 35 million pheasants are released each year (http://www.gwct.org.uk/research__surveys/species_research/birds/pheasant/default.asp).

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what the average value is of a pheasant poult at release age.

(S3W-34194)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation estimate that the average price in 2010 for a pheasant poult, assuming that release age means the point at which the birds are put into a release pen at around 6-8 weeks of age, is
£3.25 – £3.75.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what average income shooting businesses receive per pheasant shot by their clients.

(S3W-34195)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation estimate that shooting businesses that charge for pheasant shooting would expect anything from £25-£40 per bird, plus VAT if applicable, assuming that this would be driven pheasant shooting. A number of these businesses could also offer clients walked-up shooting and it could be that the average cost per pheasant for walked-up shooting would be around £15-£20.

The majority of pheasants shot in Scotland each year are shot on driven shoots.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  whether research evidence supports the claims that raptors cause damage to game birds.

(S3W-34179)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

Yes, available research does confirm that raptors cause damage to game birds.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what key tests are applied before an agricultural licence is granted to kill buzzards.

(S3W-34180)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

No licence to kill buzzards for this purpose has been granted. However any application to carry out licensed control of avian predators to prevent serious damage to livestock would have to meet two tests as set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 ;

  • that the proposed licensed control will prevent serious damage;
  • that there is no satisfactory alternative to licensed control of the predator;

The Scottish Government would also not grant any licence that threatened the conservation status of the species concerned. Further detailed guidance has been discussed with stakeholders. This process has not been completed.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  whether it is considering changing the key tests applied to the granting of agricultural licences to kill buzzards.

(S3W-34181)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

There is no change planned in relation to any of the tests used in considering applications to control predatory birds to prevent serious damage to livestock.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what alternatives to killing buzzards it is considering in relation to changes to agricultural licences.

(S3W-34182)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

Any guidance should contain a list outlining alternatives solutions that must be shown to be unsatisfactory before any licence can be considered. This would include: increasing cover in release pens, changes to pen construction or placement, disrupting predator flight lines, the use of deterrents and diversionary feeding. The detail of any further guidelines is yet to be finalised.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  whether it considers that stakeholders were given adequate time to respond to its drafts of guidance on how to apply for licences to kill protected birds for the protection of game birds released in order to be shot and how the relevant timescale complied with its guidance on the management of consultations.

(S3W-34184)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The guidance is being drafted in accordance with discussions at stakeholder meetings and supporting correspondence. Stakeholders have been given adequate time to contribute to this process. Discussions have been ongoing since October 2009.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what changes were made, following consultation, to its drafts of guidance on how to apply for licences to kill protected birds for the protection of game birds released in order to be shot; how these changes related to consultees’ comments; what analysis it did in relation to the comments and changes, and how this approach complied with its guidance on the management of consultations.

(S3W-34185)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The guidance seeks to clarify how the Scottish Government will operate a particular aspect of existing legislation. A wide range of comments from stakeholders have been considered, but ultimately, the content of the guidance will be the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what the conservation status of the goshawk is in Scotland .

(S3W-34186)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

Overall the species status is unfavourable due to population growth and distribution of birds being limited despite suitable habitat being available.

Best current estimates date from 2007 and place the breeding population at a minimum of 130 pairs (Birds in Scotland ), and 136 territories (Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme Report).

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what the conservation status of the sparrowhawk is in Scotland .

(S3W-34187)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The overall conservation status of the Sparrowhawk is favourable.

The sparrowhawk is one of the most widespread and common raptors in Scotland, although there has been some suggestion of a decline since the 1980s within conifer forest nesting pairs due to changes in age structure of the forest estate.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what research evidence it has considered in relation to licensing landowners to kill buzzards.

(S3W-34175)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The research evidence taken into account includes:

Allen, D.S., Packer, J.J., Blanchard, C. and Feare, C.J., 2000. Raptors and the rearing of Pheasants: problems and management needs. ADAS Consulting Ltd. Unpublished report to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

Allen, D.S., 2001. Raptors and the rearing of Pheasants, Part II: A preliminary evaluation of techniques to reduce losses of young pheasants to raptors at release pens. ADAS Consulting Ltd. Unpublished report to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

British Association for Shooting & Conservation leaflet.  Birds of prey at pheasant release pens.

Clements, R., 2000. Range expansion of the Common Buzzard in Britain . British Birds, 93: 242-248.

Clements, R., 2002. The Common Buzzard in Britain : a new population estimate. British Birds, 95: 377-383.

Cramp, S., 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa . Volume II, OUP.

Forester, R.W., Andrews, I.J., McInerny, C.J., Murray, R.D., McGowan, R.Y., Zonfrillo, B., Betts, M.W., Jardine, D.C. and Grundy, D.S. (Eds), 2007, vol II. The Birds of Scotland . The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, Aberlady.

Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (formerly GCT), Review of 2003. Fate of released pheasants, page 74-75.

Harradine, J., Reynolds, N. and Laws, T., 1997. Raptors and gamebirds. A survey of game managers affected by raptors. Wrexham: British Association for Shooting and Conservation.

Kenward, R.E., 1999. Raptor predation problems and solutions. Journal of Raptor Research, 33(1): 73-75.

Kenward, R.E., Hall, D.G., Walls, S.S., Hodder, K.H., Pahkala, M., Freeman, S.N. and Simpson, V.R., 2000. The prevalence of non-breeders in raptor populations: evidence from rings, radio-tags and transect surveys. Oikos, 91(2): 271-279.

Kenward, R.E., Hall, D.G., Walls, S.S., and Hodder, K.H., 2001. Factors affecting predation by buzzards (Buteo buteo) on released pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Journal of Applied Ecology, 38: 813-822.

Kenward, R.E., 2002. Management tools for reconciling bird hunting and biodiversity. European Concerted Action within the 5th Framework Program: Reconciling Gamebird Hunting and Biodiversity (REGHAB).

Lloyd, D.E.B., 1976. Avian predation of reared pheasants. Report to the British Field Sports Society, The Game Conservancy, The RSPB and the Wildfowlers Association of G.B. and Ireland .

JNCC, 2000. The report of the UK Raptor Working Group.

Manosa, S., 2002. The conflict between gamebird hunting and raptors in Europe . European Concerted Action within the 5th Framework Program: Reconciling Gamebird Hunting and Biodiversity (REGHAB).

Park, K.J., Calladine, J.R., Graham, K.E., Stephenson, C.M. and Wernham, C.V., 2005. The Impacts of Predatory Birds on Waders, Songbirds, Gamebirds and Fisheries Interests. A report to Scotland ’s Moorland Forum.

Redpath, S. and Thirgood, S., 1997. Birds of prey and red grouse. London : Stationery Office.

Reif, V., Jungell, S., Korpimaki, E., Tornberg, R. and Mykra, S., 2004. Numerical response of common buzzards and predation rate of main and alternative prey under fluctuating food conditions. Ann. Zool. Fennici, 41: 599-607.

Robertson, P.A., 1988. Survival of released pheasants, Phasianus colchicus, in Ireland . Journal of Zoology, 214: 683-695.

Thompson, D.B.A, Redpath, S.M., Fielding, A.H., Marquiss, M. and Galbraith , C.A. , 2003. Birds of prey in a changing environment. Edinburgh : The Stationery Office.

Walls, S.S. and Kenward, R.E., 1998. Movements of Common Buzzards, Buteo buteo, in early life. Ibis, 140: 561-568.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  whether it considers that any legislative changes that would allow landowners to kill buzzards would comply with EU tests and regulations.

(S3W-34176)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

No legislative change is required to allow the control of predatory birds under licence.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  whether it will list ongoing research projects looking at alleged damage by raptors to other birds.

(S3W-34177)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

The Langholm Demonstration Project is the main ongoing research project.

This topic has been looked at several times and was reviewed by Park et al in 2005 The Impacts of Predatory Birds on Waders, Songbirds, Gamebirds and Fisheries Interests (report to Moorland Forum) and 2008 Impacts of birds of prey on game birds in the UK: a review (Ibis 150 (Suppl. 1), 9–26).

Wider research that is available includes, spatial and temporal associations between recovering populations of common raven Corvus corax and British upland wader populations. Arjun Amar et al 2010 Journal of Applied Ecology is relevant, as is the BTO/Songbird Survival research – Population change of avian predators and grey squirrels in England : is there evidence for an impact on avian prey populations? Newson S et al. 2010 Journal of Applied Ecology.

Rhona Brankin ( Midlothian ) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive  what the cost to the taxpayer has been of undertaking research into alleged damage to other birds by raptors.

(S3W-34178)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP :

Public sector funding contributions to recent research into impact of raptors on other birds is as follows:

  • Racing Pigeons: Impact of Raptor Predation CSL report to SNH & SHU 2004 £122,000.
    ·       Sparrowhawks & Racing Pigeons – SG/SHU/SNH Research Trial 2009 c£25,000.
    ·       The Impacts of Predatory Birds on Waders, Songbirds, Gamebirds and Fisheries Interests. Moorland Forum Report  (2005) £24,000.

Langholm Moor Demonstration Project (2007-date) – £357,000 (including £52,500 from Natural England).

Roseanna Cunningham claims government is committed to tackling wildlife crime

Labour MSP Elaine Murray asked the Scottish government on 25 March 2010 what action it is taking to tackle wildlife crime.

Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish Environment Minister, claimed the government was committed to tackling wildlife crime and used four examples to support her assertion:

1. Strengthening and re-structuring the Partnership for Wildlife Crime (PAW) to improve its effectiveness. [Presumably this ‘strengthening’  includes supporting the words of Sheriff Kevin Drummond, Paw Chair, who recently told a wildlife crime investigator to “Get a life” after he dared to suggest that sentencing for wildlife crime was too lenient].

2. Establishing a fund aimed at supporting innovations in combating wildlife crime. [This is good – is there a report available to show what innovations have been funded?].

3. Taking action to reduce the single farm payments made to five claimants in cases connected with poisoned birds. [Excellent. Is there a report available to show which five claimants have had their subsidies withdrawn? We are only aware of two –

  • James McDougal (Blythe Farm near Lauder, Scottish Borders) who had £7,919 withdrawn in January 2008 after his gamekeeper, George Aitken, was convicted of wildlife crimes – see blog entry 6 March 2010.
  • John Dodd (Glenogil Estate, Angus) who had £107,000 withdrawn in September 2008 after poisoned baits were found strewn across his estate. Dodd is apparently contesting this decision – see blog entry 3 March 2010.

So who are the other three claimants who have had their subsidies withdrawn? The two we know of happened in 2008, during the tenure of the previous Environment Minister, Michael Russell. How many withdrawals happened in 2009 when Roseanna Cunningham took office?]

4. The recent appointment of a special lawyer to act as Crown Council for Wildlife Crime. [Excellent – we look forward to seeing an increase of successful prosecutions in the very near future].

Full report: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/spwrans/?id=2010-03-25.S3O-9994.h

Environment Minister appreciates the efforts of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association

Scottish Environment Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, really showed those pesky gamekeepers that she means business when it comes to stamping out wildlife crime. In her speech at the Scottish Gamekeepers Association’s (SGA) annual general meeting on 5 March 2010, hard-hitting Roseanna gave them what for. Well actually, she didn’t.

Here is an excerpt from her speech:

“Unfortunately, the illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland remains at an unacceptably high level, as shown by the recent high profile cases such as the poisoning of the golden eagle, Alma, which was being radio-tracked by SNH. Raptor persecution is one of the UK Wildlife Crime Priorities and we are committed to tackling this.

In Scotland even one incident of deliberate, illegal poisoning would be one too many. It is shameful that some of our most iconic species continue to face illegal persecution.

We all know that the illegal killing of birds of prey is having a serious impact on the populations of iconic species such as golden eagles and hen harriers. Birds of prey are our national assets, with huge public, cultural and tourism appeal. 

However, I realise that those responsible for these illegal activities are in the minority.

I am most grateful for the efforts of the SGA who are trying to conserve birds of prey and the support that the SGA gives to the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Scotland (PAWS), in helping to defeat this type of crime.

The partnership approach taken in tackling this issue is apparent in the mix of people you see here today. We all have the same goal of defeating wildlife crime. Working together to share knowledge, resources and skills to deal with these issues is the only way to tackle this problem”.

Roseanna, it might be time to change your political advisors because they are clearly not giving you the full picture. What ‘efforts’, exactly, has the SGA made to try and conserve birds of prey? Perhaps you are referring to their long-running campaign (since 2000) to get licences to cull raptors? SGA chairman Alex Hogg even goes as far as saying if they had licences to kill raptors legally then the wildlife crime would stop ‘overnight’. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/birds-of-prey-persecution-a-special-ios-online-report-396066.html Is that an admission that if licences to kill raptors are not forthcoming then gamekeepers will continue the criminal activity of killing protected species? Wonderful! What a great effort they are making to conserve birds of prey!