Landowners who allow bird of prey poisonings to be government target
Tayside landowners whose employees are caught poisoning birds of prey could end up in jail under tough new government proposals to crackdown on wildlife crime.
- By David Clegg, political reporter
- Published in the Courier : 04.11.10
- Published online : 04.11.10 @ 05.04pm
The measures, outlined at Holyrood on Wednesday, come amid increasing concern about the number of incidents in Angus and Perthshire.
Environment minister Roseanna Cunningham unveiled a "vicarious liability offence" that would target those who "manage or control" those responsible for killing the birds. Those found guilty could face six months in jail and be fined up to £5000.
"Increased awareness and condemnation appears to be doing little to bring down the number of illegal bird poisonings in Scotland," said the MSP for Perth. "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."
However, Ms Cunningham moved to calm fears landowners were being unfairly targeted by the move.
"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," she said. "We have a duty to protect our birds of prey as they are an integral part of our national identity.
Tarnished reputation
"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."
Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesman Liam McArthur welcomed the move.
"All the signs are that the illegal killing of birds of prey is on the increase in certain parts of the country," he said. "There can be no excuse for this appalling practice which has, quite rightly, drawn condemnation across the board."
More than a quarter of the 46 confirmed poison abuse incidents in Scotland last year were in Angus and Perthshire.
A poisoned red kite was found in Strathtay, near Aberfeldy in July, leading Tayside Police to claim such incidents blighted the area's reputation worldwide.
Ms Cunningham unveiled the Tayside partnership against wildlife crime the following month in an attempt to reverse the trend.
The new proposals are contained in an amendment to the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill, which covers a range of subjects from game to invasive and non-native species.
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