Jamie McGrigor, Highlands & Islands Conservative MSP, argued today that the legislation in place to tackle wildlife crime was robust, and that enforcement of such legislation should be a priority.
Jamie was speaking in a Scottish Government debate this afternoon on eradicating raptor persecution following the recent poisoning of buzzards and red kites in Ross-shire.
Speaking in the debate, Jamie said:
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate and I thank the organisations that have provided briefings. I emphasise that the Scottish Conservatives, along with other parties across the chamber, condemn, without hesitation, the recent poisoning incident in Ross-shire, as we condemn any illegal poisoning of any animal or bird.
“It is important that we are united in sending out that strong message. The Scottish Conservatives are clear that there is enough legislation in place to enable the police to investigate wildlife crime, catch those responsible, and bring them to justice. Proper enforcement of the legislation is vital. The rule of law must be upheld. That is what we must focus on.
“We support Police Scotland in its efforts to investigate and find those responsible for the Ross-shire incident. There has been much side-briefing by many organisations, which is not necessarily a good thing, as it can cloud a straightforward issue.
“Many rumours are now circulating among local inhabitants in Ross-shire about how this disaster might have come about. I am reliably told that the red kites are hand-fed in that area at the Tollie feed station on the Brahan estate. It has been mooted that such a sudden mass death might have been caused by some contamination in what they were fed. I repeat that that is only rumour and speculation, but I imagine that the first thing that anyone investigating an incident of this kind would do is check the food source for possible contamination. I ask the minister to confirm whether that was done in the early stages of the investigation.
“Police Scotland should have adequate resources to allow it to investigate all wildlife crime in the appropriate way, so is there any reason why the public still do not know what type of poisoning the birds died from? An answer to that would surely establish possible sources, but it seems that we are all in the dark on this, unless the minister can now enlighten us”.
Paul Wheelhouse (Minister for Environment & Climate Change):
“I hope that the member will forgive me for pointing out that there are sound reasons for why details of what substance might have affected the birds and how the investigation is proceeding have not been revealed. I am afraid that I therefore cannot enlighten him any further on the detail, although I know some of it”.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
“I, too, urge caution, Mr McGrigor”.
Jamie continued:
“I am sure that those reasons are sound, but I am sorry that the minister cannot share those details. We would like to know what they are.
“We support the good work of PAWS (Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime in Scotland) and congratulate all the participants. A partnership approach is necessary to resolve all types of wildlife crime. We, too, recognise the significant economic importance of wildlife and ornithological tourism to the Scottish economy. That involves all birds that ornithologists come to see, from songbirds to the golden eagle.
“I warmly welcome the Scottish Gamekeepers Association’s (SGA) new conservation project, the Year of the Wader, which aims to help halt the alarming decline of wading bird species such as the curlew, the lapwing and the golden plover. As a farmer for a long time, I can remember when all those birds were plentiful in large flocks at certain times of the year in the Highlands. Now, however, they have become scarce in most places, and we must know the reasons why.
“I commend the Scottish Gamekeepers Association’s briefing for today’s debate. It calls on the Scottish Government to seek to tackle wildlife crime at its root, by dealing with some of its possible causes, and to act to ensure that people understand that they have genuine legal alternatives to taking the law into their own hands when they are faced with conflicts that might affect their livelihoods.
“The SGA has repeated its call for proper guidance to be published in relation to a functional, science-based licensing system for businesses that might be affected by the impact of raptor species. I ask the minister to respond to that in his closing speech.
“The motion mentions sea eagles. The impact of sea eagles on crofters’ and farmers’ livelihoods is another genuine issue of concern that has been widely publicised lately, and is one on which I have spoken out for a number of years. It was discussed at a recent meeting of our cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on crofting, which I chair. I welcome the NFUS’s (NFU Scotland) recently published sea eagle action plan and look forward to ministers responding positively to it.
“I am clear that Government agencies in future must do more in terms of environmental impact studies before the reintroduction of raptors or predators, in order that damage to livestock and the existing indigenous wild bird population is minimised.
“On Labour’s amendment, we are not convinced, because we think that there is already enough legislation. However, we will not vote against the motion.
“Today’s debate is useful, as it sends out a unified message from Parliament that we condemn illegal raptor persecution and all wildlife crime. However, it is important, in this instance, that we rapidly find out whether the poisoning of a huge number of hand-fed red kites was in fact a crime and not an awful accident.
“We look to the Government and its agencies to enforce existing legislation to bring those responsible to justice and to work constructively with all stakeholders to tackle some of the underlying reasons why some people say that they may commit wildlife crime.
“The minister says that he is growing impatient and he proposes further legislation. I suggest that wildlife crime is being perpetrated by a very few individuals, rather than by any particular section of the Scottish countryside.”