Natural England issued an update on their controversial Hen Harrier brood meddling project on Friday but I’ve only just seen it. They’ve also sent me (and the RSPB) a further update from their legal department because both RSPB and I are taking legal action against this daft project.
First, the Natural England blog. As reported by Raptor Persecution UK Natural England have said that two nests have been brood-meddled this year. Nine chicks were removed from two nests and eight of them survived to be released. Let’s hope they fare much better than last year’s cohort – none of whom (5 chicks) are thought to be alive.
But the blog contains another example of Natural England’s chaotic internal and external communications. Dave Slater, a Natural England director no less, and in charge of species licensing writes;
The 5 year brood management trial is designed to determine how many hen harriers can live alongside grouse before they have an impact on grouse numbers through predating them.
https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2020/05/22/hen-harrier-brood-management-trial-licence-renewed/
No it isn’t!! And it’s certainly not what Natural England’s sworn evidence to the court said it was for either. If the Director responsible for licensing doesn’t know why his staff issued this licence who does? Natural England omnishambles continues. I suggest NE corrects this error pretty quickly as it looks as though it may have been there since May.
More on Hen Harrier brood-meddling very soon.
[registration_form]
The reality is they don’t know what they are doing. Why would they? They were set up to protect nature and now find their orders are to destroy it!
No wonder they are all confused.
There is a disease going around and it isn’t Covid-19.
It is called ‘make up any old shit.’
What a total shambles. Quite clearly Natural England are simply not fit for purpose. However as others say, they are probably being forced to implement Tory Party vested interests which are hand in glove and with the shooters. That being so, I am very surprised that responsible members of Natural England’s governance do not resign their posts given that the organisation is supposed to serve the interests of nature and our wildlife not the interests of the Tory Party and shooters..
“The 5 year brood management trial is designed to determine how many hen harriers can live alongside grouse before they have an impact on grouse numbers through predating them.”
That’s interesting isn’t it? Then once we know this we can issue licences to kill any birds that breach this limit. Or am I just a cynical old bugger?
My guess would be that a minister with links to the killing for fun lobby has instructed Defra and the NE that the appeasement strategy must be delivered… Make it so. Thereafter, the justification, the science and the staff have to be edited to fit the decision. When you have to construct a new truth founded on lies it must be difficult for consistency, people generally don’t like lying. You can’t argue that black is white forever, sooner or later it will fall apart.
There are good, decent people at NE who will be damaged by this sham.
So at last the truth is out! Brood meddling is about finding a solution that suits the Grouse shooting interests!
Of course it was always know that was the case! In what other area of life would the supposed economic benefit of an activity be a reason for allowing criminal acts to take place?
If another business which supposedly generated economic benefits in a rural area, depended upon consistent breaking of the law to survive, would the Government take the view that that its benefits outweighed the criminal acts? No of course not! So why is the persecution of birds of prey tolerated?
Of course most right thinking people know the answer to that!
Brood meddling is an appeasement strategy, designed to keep Harrier density on grouse moors about 30 times lower than carrying capacity to satisfy the prejudices of the grouse cabal. It will not “The 5 year brood management trial is designed to determine how many hen harriers can live alongside grouse before they have an impact on grouse numbers through predating them.”
To do that you leave harriers alone until the grouse shootable surplus falls and see what the current harrier density is.
The whole thing of course is a nonsense because all BM does is pander to prejudice as I have said and buys time for the grouse cabal and NE, because they cannot possibly “manage” a whole healthy harrier population in this way or indeed a harrier population much larger than the current tiny fraction of what should be there, twentyish pairs when there should of course be 300+.
If I were Wild Justice or RSPB I might be using this ludicrous statement in court to demonstrate NE internal chaos.
Yes Tim, you are a cynical old bugger but then aren’t we all?