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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Disappearances of Birds of Prey Over Driven Grouse Moors

  • Submitted by: Alex Rowley, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
  • Motion reference: S5M-22411
  • Current status: Achieved cross-party support

That the Parliament is concerned by reports of the suspected death of another bird of prey on a driven grouse moor in Highland Perthshire; understands that a young golden eagle’s satellite tag suddenly stopped working on the grouse moor in the east of Scotland, an area where seven other golden eagles have gone missing in what it considers suspicious circumstances in recent years; is alarmed that Scotland is reportedly the only place in the world where satellite tagged birds of prey seem to suffer catastrophic tag "malfunctions" at 25 times the rate of other countries and, it understands, overwhelmingly over areas used for driven grouse shooting; understands that, this year alone, at least two satellite-tagged hen harriers and golden eagles have disappeared over grouse moors, as well as a satellite-tagged white-tailed eagle found illegally poisoned in the east of Scotland; recognises that this is on top of at least 43 hen harriers that have reportedly gone "missing" in suspicious circumstances or have been confirmed killed across the UK since 2018 alone; notes the belief that more should be done to prosecute those responsible for illegal killings of iconic and endangered wild birds of prey, and further notes the belief that more actions should be taken to address the health and balance of moorland ecosystems while protecting the diversity of species and recognising carbon commitments.


Supported by: Jackie Baillie, Claire Baker, Claudia Beamish, Neil Bibby, Sarah Boyack, Miles Briggs, Peter Chapman, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Bruce Crawford, James Dornan, Annabelle Ewing, Neil Findlay, John Finnie, Murdo Fraser, Kenneth Gibson, Christine Grahame, Rhoda Grant, Iain Gray, Ross Greer, Mark Griffin, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Daniel Johnson, Bill Kidd, Angus MacDonald, Lewis Macdonald, Fulton MacGregor, Ruth Maguire, John Mason, Joan McAlpine, Liam McArthur, Mark McDonald, Pauline McNeill, Gil Paterson, Mark Ruskell, Anas Sarwar, Elaine Smith, Colin Smyth, David Stewart, David Torrance, Brian Whittle, Andy Wightman, Beatrice Wishart