Only a single case of illegal bird of prey poisoning was recorded in Scotland throughout 2017 – the lowest number since records began.

The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime in Scotland (PAW) reported a 36% fall in all recorded bird of prey crimes last year.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:

 “While I welcome this further reduction in recorded bird of prey crimes, including our lowest ever total for poisoning incidents, reports from early 2018 indicate that this remains a problem in some parts of Scotland.

 “It is extremely frustrating that some criminals continue to undermine the good work that has been done by conservationists and land managers in recent years, with much of that work being done through PAW Scotland.”

BPCA Technical Manager and CRRU Working Group member, Dee Ward-Thompson, suggests that the dramatic drop in poisoning is probably at least in part due to better rodenticide stewardship across the UK.

She said:

“The reason the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) was formed was to protect wildlife, such as birds of prey from residual poisons. Through the work we’ve done with CRRU, many rodenticides can now legally only to be used by adequately trained professionals.

“Let’s hope figures in the rest of the UK show something similar to PAWs findings, further adding evidence that we’re all doing our part to limit the exposure of rodenticides in non-target species”.

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The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime in Scotland - PAW

The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use  - CRRU