FROM BUG LIFE

Header Will Hawkes Dear John Welcome to the March edition of Buglife's e-newsletter, BugBytes! Keeping you up to date with invertebrate news, interesting snippets of information and so much more. This month, we bring you lots of exciting opportunities for the young bug lovers in your lives, fascinating solitary bee discoveries, great events and an update on our Winter Appeal. We hope you enjoy, thank you for your ongoing interest and support of our work! Thank you for your support! Our Winter GiveMatch Appeal closed at the end of February and we're delighted to share that together we raised more than £20,000 for bugs! We depend on your support to continue protecting and championing a safe and secure future for invertebrates – they are essential to life as we know it. Thank you, as always, for your unwavering commitment and support. BugBytes Image - Winter Appeal Become a Citizen Scientist this spring! Be a citizen scientist (1) It's a brilliant time to explore the great outdoors, spend time with family & become a Citizen Scientist, if you aren't already! There are lots of fantastic bug-gy activities to get involved with; check out some of our suggestions below: Bugs Matter ~ Will lack of insects be a hot topic again this year? There are a number of ways you can help support anecdotal discussion with science and data, starting with our very own Bugs Matter! (open May until 30 September). Search for the Strandline Beetle ~ Heading to the beach in the South West? Keep your eyes peeled and let us know if you spot one of these strandline scuttlers (open year round). SB Survey Be a BeeWalker ~ if you have a few spare hours every month, want to enjoy a short walk and help monitor the abundance of bumblebees, this is the survey for you! (open March until October) Scottish Oil Beetle Hunt ~ have you spotted a strange looking blue-tinged beetle whilst out walking? Be sure to take a picture and log your sighting (open year round) PoMScheme FIT Counts ~ Help monitor how pollinator populations are changing with PoMScheme FIT counts! With your help data is being gathered on a wide range of flower-visiting insects. All you need is a flower and 15 minutes. (open April until 30 September) POM Just a few of the many great insect related Citizen Science opportunities, surveys and activities running at the moment. All are a fantastic way to learn more, contribute to science, and hopefully aid in discovering what is happening in our natural world. Join the Bug Art Competition this Easter! Calling all creative kids aged 5 to 17! Showcase your artistic skills and win fantastic prizes in the Bug Art Competition, hosted by Wild Finca and The Little Adventures of Erig the Earwig, and supported by Buglife. Sign up now to receive: • A downloadable guide with 'Top Tips' for your bug hunting adventure; • All competition details (including the 3 age groups); • A chance to win a Leica Monovid, The Little Adventures of Erig the Earwig books, Bug Hotels, one-year Buglife family membership, a London In the Wild Book, two CampWild Memberships, and more exciting prizes! Get ready to impress the judges: • Bill Markham, series producer of Disney's 'A Real Bug's Life'; • Ash Whiffin, Curator of Entomology at National Museums Scotland; • Wildlife Kate, nature enthusiast and educator; • Lucy Fleming, illustrator of The Little Adventures of Erig the Earwig; • Luke and Roan of Wild Finca. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to unleash your creativity and explore the fascinating world of bugs with us! Sign up now and let the bug art adventure begin! Find out more and sign up BAC Additional opportunities for young nature lovers Do you know someone aged 12-16 living in England or Wales? Make sure you tell them about Action for Conservation’s FREE Summer Camps! This is an amazing opportunity for young people to: Learn how to take action for nature Discover wildlife Make friends & have fun! Applications close on Monday 5 May 2025! Visit the Action for Conservation website for more information or to download an Application Pack. AFC - SC An Unconventional Home for the Gold-fringed Mason Bee Did you read our recent blog from Buglife Cymru Conservation Officer, Liam Olds, following a recent discovery with regards the Gold-fringed Mason Bee (Osmia aurulenta)? A specialist snail shell-nesting bee, this mason bee is often limited by the abundance and quality of available nests, however, at Castlemartin Range, they appear to have found an unlikely alternative. In June last year, female Gold-fringed Mason Bees were observed entering and exiting ammunition cases with nesting materials. Some of the cases had already been plugged with leaf mastic (chewed-up leaves), suggesting that the bees were using the casings as brood cells. Read more... GfMB © Liam Olds Masters by Research opportunity at the University of York Could this exciting opportunity from the University of York, be just what you are looking for? Assessing the conservation status of wood ants across Europe. This project will involve both collating and evaluating existing published data, and also working with newly collected datasets on wood ant distributions. The new data are being collected as part of the European-wide project MonitAnt, and it will thus be possible for data gaps to be identified and targeted as part of the integration between the Red List assessment process and the data collection. Find out more Upcoming Events Tuesday 1 April ~ Pollinators with the Biological Recording Company (Online) Tuesday 3 April ~ Species Reintroduction – It’s Not Just Beavers with FarmED (Honeydale Farm, Chipping Norton) Wednesday 9 April ~ Walk the Wick! (Canvey Wick, Essex) Wednesday 9 April ~ Wildlife Wednesday: Spring Spotters (Canvey Wick, Essex) Monday 14 April ~ Biodiversity Net Gain and Invertebrates: Are We Getting It Right? with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Tuesday 15 April ~ Using Wildlife Observation Apps with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Wednesday 16 April ~ Wildlife Wednesday: Egg-cellent Adventure (Canvey Wick, Essex) Tuesday 22 April ~ Improving Bee Hotel Design: The Big Bee Hotel Experiment with The Biological Recording Company (Online) Wednesday 23 April ~ Invertebrate Study Day with The Biological Recording Company (NHM, London) Wednesday 23 April ~ Walk the Wick! (Canvey Wick, Essex) Keep up to date with both current and future Buglife events, as well as events from partners and supporters by visiting the Events Page on our website. News in Brief UK Pesticides National Action Plan published, finally! Buglife welcomes a new UK National Action Plan on Pesticides which aims for a future of more sustainable pesticide use, and a reduction in risk to invertebrates, but there is plenty of work still to be done. Find out more... Hope remains for rediscovery of Endangered Strandline Beetle The distinctive Strandline Beetle (Eurynebria complanata), known for its beautiful black and sand-coloured patterns, is the focus of renewed conservation efforts during 2025 in South West England. The last recorded sighting of the Strandline Beetle in England was in 2002 at Braunton Burrows in North Devon. Optimistic conservation experts at Buglife are hoping to rediscover the beetle this year. Find out more.. Conservation charities step into set the record straight after PM wrongly claims spiders stopped 15,000 development Wildlife charities have refuted claims made by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer regarding the impact of conservation efforts on housing development in Ebbsfleet. In an editorial for The Telegraph, Sir Keir suggested that plans for 15,000 new homes had been blocked due to the discovery of a colony of critically endangered Distinguished Jumping Spiders (Attulus distinguendus). Find out more... The Grassland Gap Buglife has joined Plantlife and 41 other organisations to call on the UK Government to prioritise grasslands and commit to developing a Grassland Action Plan for England. From mountain pastures to floodplain meadows, grasslands cover more than 40% of land in the UK. They are a huge natural asset; vital for nature and people to thrive, for food production, and to combat climate change. Read the full letter... Buglife Shop The Buglife shop is open for all your invertebrate needs, offering more ethical options and ways to support bugs. Explore our catalogue for great gift ideas and more! From t-shirts to bug hotels, there is something for everyone. Shop Banner-R Shop Now And Finally... Don't forget you can stay up to date with the work of the Buglife team via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube ! Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work; together we can save the small things that run the planet! Join Buglife Unsubscribe Company No. 4132695 | Registered Charity No. 1092293 | Scottish Charity No.SC040004 Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England at G.06, Allia Future Business Centre, London Road, Peterborough, PE2 8AN FR

STAG HUNTING — THE SABOTUERS EXPOSE AGAIN THE CRUELTY OF IT

View this email in your browser Hi, Cruelty And Carve-ups: The Horror Of Spring Stag Hunting We are now several weeks into the Spring Stag Hunting season. As opposed to the trophy hunting of Autumn Stag hunting, Spring Stag hunting is all about the sport of the chase, with a young stag between one and three years old being selected. Without the weight of large antlers, heavy body mass, and the strain of the rut, young stags can run much faster. However they often lack the experience of the older stags, who will use various tricks to hide and throw off their pursuers. The young stag may just straight-line it away in terror, with no plan of where he will go. The large number of riders and followers often end up corralling the stag, giving him no opportunity for any rest. As a result, although the distance covered may be greater, it can actually be over quicker. Studies have proved that deer are not well adapted to run for long periods. Spring stag jumps across the road before being killed and carved up in a field ©WCA Spring stag hunting also sees the largest number of riders and followers as the fox hunting season comes to a close and those participants move to persecuting other animals. There can be over one hundred riders and just as many car followers, all tracking the stag’s every move. It’s a daunting prospect, but there are ways we can help. Our most important tool is our cameras: these can go a long way to curbing the very worst of their behaviour. The simplest aspect being that they are only allowed to use two hounds to hunt the stag. And when they’re being watched they have to stick to that. This severely limits them when it comes to finding the stag when he’s hiding and separating him off from the herd. They have been caught out a number of times with more than two hounds when they think they’re not being watched. Beautiful stag flees from the Quantocks Staghounds. They will also drive at the deer with vehicles, whip them and even manhandle them if they think they can get away with it. We’ve heard some truly horrific stories about what has gone on out there with no one watching. Of course, in the heat of the moment, when the red mist of the kill descends, nothing and no one will stop them getting their kill. But we’ve been there to expose their behaviour. Who will ever forget seeing the young stag laid down defeated in the river at Twitchen Mill before his brains were blown out at close range with a short barrelled shotgun. We all remember the heartbreaking sight of the Yeo Stag swimming for his life, then stood at bay exhausted with blood pouring from his nose. And of course, the stag shot next to the River Barle with a sab in the line of fire. Stag killed in front of Devon County sab, next to River Barle. We weren’t able to save those animals, but they will never be forgotten and each one is another nail in the coffin of stag hunting and can even save future stags’ lives. The fallout from the stag by the Barle is still ongoing and has resulted in at least one other stag being saved from certain death. This came about as the landowner was unhappy with the bad publicity that ensured from the stag’s brutal death and warned the hunt that they would lose access to the land if they made a scene in there again. A year later a young stag was at bay near the same spot, but with several sabs in the vicinity they didn’t dare to shoot him! Of course, they can be sabbed in more direct ways when the opportunity arises, but that is generally rare due to the vast areas they cover. Their own hound control is also abysmal making calling off the dogs in cry very difficult! However sometimes the deer can be diverted towards safety on land where hunting is not allowed. We have also hidden deer from the hunt when we’ve managed to arrive in the area before them and seen deer out in the open. Even if they are eventually found, valuable time has been lost, which is especially important when the days are short! Pitiful: this exhausted spring stag hides his face. He was shot dead moments later. So far this season we have attended three Devon & Somerset Staghounds meets. The first two we were pleased to have helped the stag escape when he entered the sanctuary of League Against Cruel Sports land. However, last Saturday's meet had a sad and shocking outcome. Not only was the stag chased to exhaustion and killed, we then witnessed a brazen carve-up in front of spectators including children, which ended with the huntsman blowing the horn call for a kill as the hounds were thrown pieces of the stag’s body as a reward. On reviewing the footage, we could also see a follower stashing his personal trophy of a piece of the stag’s liver in a plastic bag. Ironically while this was going on, another hunt member was telling us how they were hunting within the law and were taking a blood sample from the stag to test for TB! This was the first time we’d witnessed a carve up, usually they hide well away for it. They obviously wanted to show off in front of the extra attendees from the Tiverton Staghounds, whose hounds are currently out of action with kennel cough. Carve-up: hunt supporter with bagged-up stag liver. Although we are gutted that we were unable to prevent the death of this stag, documenting the barbaric practices and how the law is being brazenly circumvented, is all contributing to the strengthening of the Hunting Act as promised in the labour manifesto. We have no doubt that without the evidence being collected by sabs and monitors, stag hunting would have been overlooked with most people unaware it is even happening. Last year, for the first time ever, the stag hunters ended their season early due to the increasing number of sabs attending as the month went on and more groups became free as their own local hunts finished. We hope for an even bigger attendance this year, so let’s hope we bring about another early end to the season. Please support the brave North Dorset Hunt Sabs in their campaign against stag hunting: paypal.com/NorthDorsetHuntSabs Get involved! Find out how you can be part of our campaign to Strengthen The Hunting Act Take Action Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Facebook icon Instagram icon Twitter icon Logo Copyright (C) 2025 Hunt Saboteurs Association. All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Hunt Saboteurs Association. Our mailing address is: BM HSA, London, WC1N 3XX, U.K. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

FROM PROTECT THE WILD — WILL WE EVER KNOW THE TRUTH ON BADGER CULLING

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Farming Minister's badger cull weak response to our concerns Daniel Zeichner sticking with Defra-appointed bTb review panel we think is clearly pro-cull. PROTECT THE WILD MAR 28 READ IN APP Six weeks ago (on February 16th), Daniel Zeichner, Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), began receiving thousands of emails from signatories to a now-closed petition we had just set up after discovering the existence of a secret government review looking at the latest science on bovine TB (bTB) control with findings due in June. Instead of choosing independent experts, we learned that officials under Minister Daniel Zeichner had filled the panel with many of the same people who have spent years pushing for badger culling. Chair of the panel was Professor Charles Godfray, the Oxford academic whose previous role in the 2018 bTB review directly contributed to the continuation of mass badger killing. Oxfordshire Badger Group called the situation “a real Oxford scandal”, and it sounds to us very much like the ‘sham consultation’ on the badger cull Defra launched in April 2024. We wrote at the time that “We feel strongly that the government has already decided the outcome (to continue killing badgers) and is not interested in responses from individuals (it has already essentially said it will prioritise responses from ‘groups - ie the NFU).” This new ‘review’ sounds essentially similar. How - we asked Mr Zeichner last month - can we expect a panel stacked with pro-cull individuals to ever admit they got it wrong? The Farming Minister’s weak response: badgers In his email to us, Mr Zeichner began by acknowledging that “Defra has recently received a high volume of correspondence about Defra review of bovine tuberculosis (TB), in a campaign led by your organisation.” Good (and thank you to all the supporters who ‘corresponded’). The ‘high volume’ should help Defra realise how under scrutiny it is at the moment and Mr Zeichner would (surely?) frame any response to at least give the impression that he understands how much the public (especially a public motivated by a pro-wildlife organisation like Protect the Wild) loves badgers and is focussed on how this senseless cull is impacting them. Please sign our government petition Not a bit of it. Perhaps we shouldn’t have expected much else (this was an ‘official’ Ministerial response rather than a pitch to wildlife enthusiasts), but Mr Zeichner mentions badgers just three times in his email to us - and all three times it is with reference to culling, the panel, and business interests (for example, “to continue to drive down disease rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament”). He does mention that he is aware of “the distress many people feel regarding badger culling“, but there is no empathy for the quarter of a million badgers already killed, and no acknowledgement of their protected status or of their importance to natural landscapes and ecosystems. To be frank, we find that unacceptable. The Farming Minister’s weak response: the panel Mr Zeichner’s support for his Defra-appointed panel of pro-cull academics is total. “I asked Defra officials to reconvene a panel of experts to consider whether there’s any substantive new evidence that might affect previous conclusions. I asked Professor Sir Charles Godfray to lead this panel, having previously led the 2018 strategy review, which I recommend all interested parties read. I chose him for his expertise and esteemed standing in the scientific community. He and the other panel members bring diverse knowledge from respected academic institutions, which is reflected in the balanced account of complex issues in the previous review. I do not share your view of the panel, nor do I believe they hold long-standing pro-badger culling positions.” We (respectfully? the jury is out on that…) disagree. The record speaks against Mr Zeichner on this. The group recommended the continuation of culling in 2018 leading to around 150,000 more badger killings. We see no reason why it will not be ‘more of the same’. We ask again, what is the point of a review packed with the same people who dispute or ignore the evidence that culling is ‘ineffective’ and which means that culling can take place for the rest of this decade? After all, as long ago as 2017 ecologist Tom Langton wrote in an article ‘Lies, Damn Lies, and Twisted Statistics” that “a robust reanalysis of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) data [the data on which the badger cull was based] reveals that culling is entirely ineffective” (ironically, ‘ineffective’ was the word Labour used in its own Manifesto to describe the cull it is now prolonging). More recently Tom, veterinarian and Prion Group director Iain McGill, and Born Free’s head of policy and veterinarian Mark Jones, co-authored a hard-hitting report which analyzed the impact of badger culling and cattle controls on bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle in the high-risk area (HRA) of England from 2009 to 2020. Published in March 2022 in VetRecord, the authors found no meaningful effect of badger culling on bTB incidence saying “Badger culling is likely not responsible for initiating the levelling off and downward trend” of herd infections in the HRA. The facts are widely available. As it stands, the make up of this panel looks suspiciously like a weak attempt to pacify the NFU and the farming industry than address the issues. We previously outlined six steps we want to see taken before we will be persuaded of the impartiality of this ‘review panel’ and we repeat them here: 1️⃣ Professor Charles Godfray must step down from the panel. 2️⃣ No Oxford academics should be involved in reviewing their own work. 3️⃣ No panel members should have a history of supporting badger culling. 4️⃣ Minister Zeichner must act decisively and appoint a truly independent review team. 5️⃣ The Chief Veterinary Officer and APHA leadership must be held accountable for their failures. 6️⃣ All badger culling must end—immediately. Please sign our government petition The Farming Minister’s weak response: conclusion Mr Zeichner concludes his email to us saying “I firmly believe the new strategy will mark a significant step-change in approach to tackling this devastating disease, charting a new direction that protects both the farming community and wildlife, and which delivers on the government’s manifesto commitment.” This is the same ‘farming community’ that caused bTb to spread when it ‘restocked’ after foot and mouth. Has continually ignored warnings about biosecurity. And has alienated many in both rural and urban areas by its continual attacks on wildlife and the environment. Yes, we’re fully aware that if government were a hotel, then Protect the Wild would be kept waiting in the lobby while Defra and the NFU would be sharing adjoining suites on the top floor. We also understand that in his role as Farming Minister, Mr Zeichner wants to keep the farming industry onside while trying to sound sympathetic to activists like us. But while yet another review and yet another ‘direction’ might seem like striking some sort of balance, Mr Zeichner should also be aware that the ‘farming community’ will never really back his government and that most pro-wildlife voters already feel substantially let down by it. When it came to power, many of us had hoped for a clear separation between the Labour government and the previous anti-wildlife Tory regime. Many of us have been disappointed. It appears generally supportive of commercial bird shooting, has not been nearly quick enough to ban so-called ‘trail hunting’, and - it seems - is now finding ways to look like it’s ‘doing something’ while protracting the inevitable end of the unpopular - and scientifically unjustifiable - badger cull. If Mr Zeichner (or more likely the officials that would have helped write it) had hoped that his letter to us would come across as moderate and mollify activists like us, he/they are mistaken. The truth is that we are far better informed and far more widely read than Mr Zeichner appreciates. The government must act faster, listen to independent experts like Tom Langton, and instead of using ill-defined phrases like “end the badger cull by the end of this parliament” needs to ditch the review and pledge to end the cull immediately. After the few weeks it has just had forcing through unpopular welfare reforms, this government really needs what friends it has left. And right now its friends are telling it that it needs to do far better, far quicker before any residual goodwill is lost entirely. Download a pdf of Mr Zeichner’s letter here. Adopt a Badger At Protect the Wild we are campaigning relentlessly against badger persecution and the ongoing badger cull using articles like this one, a series of hugely popular animations, and protesting outside Defra HQ itself. By adopting a badger with Protect the Wild you will help fund our efforts to protect badgers and help expose wildlife crimes committed against wild badger populations. As an adopter, not only will you be helping fund vital work, but you will also receive an exclusive Protect the Wild adoption pack including cuddly toy, glossy photo, and an information fact sheet. Please note, in line with many other organisations our adoptions are ‘symbolic’. By adopting an animal you will be supporting our work protecting these animals as a whole rather than one individual. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

DEAR ROAMERS — THE RESULTS ARE IN

Can't see this message? View in a browser   The Results Are In... Dear Roamers, A few weeks ago we launched our first supporter survey, with the aim of getting to know you better, learn more about the access issues you face, and to get your feedback on the direction of the campaign. Several thousand of you responded, so we got a great sample to learn from – as well as lots of helpful comments we’ll be taking on board. Without further ado, we’d like to share some of what we found… WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT YOU Over 50% of you live in the countryside, either in a fully rural area (31%) or a rural town (20.9%). That wasn’t a surprise to us: but it does challenge the claims of critics that access is a ‘townie’ issue being imposed on the countryside. In reality, as our polling suggests, it’s equally (very) popular across urban and rural dwellers alike. The biggest way a ‘right to roam’ would affect your life was removing the anxiety of confrontation when accessing the outdoors (71% selected): there’s sometimes a view that the only people calling for access reform are ‘adventure bros’ – people who are already confident and experienced in the outdoors. This indicates a much more complex picture. Many of you further felt a right to roam law would help unlock new access opportunities in your area (69% selected) and protect or restore access to areas where no explicit rights currently exist (67%). Indeed, nearly half of you (45%) had lost access to an area which had previously enjoyed informal access (a growing trend we call ‘micro-enclosure’), while 60% of you experienced a lack of safe routes to walk or cycle. 40% of you had sadly had an interaction with an aggressive landowner, and most of you had encountered obstructed rights of way (78%) as well as hostile signage (76%). YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CAMPAIGN Many of you were hugely encouraging and supportive about the efforts of the campaign over the past few years and urge us to keep going! You recognise we’re up against some major opponents, but are glad the campaign is giving expression to the desire for a different kind of countryside. You overwhelmingly agree our primary policy aim is correct (adapting the Scottish model of a default right of responsible access to land and water). Over 75% of you felt this should continue to be our focus, though many were glad we’ve been defending existing rights too. A smaller percentage of you (15%) felt we should stick with the original campaign goal of extending the Countryside and Rights of Way Act to new areas. For more context on why we decided to switch to adapting the Scottish approach, check out our full briefing here. You welcome our efforts to mitigate genuine issues with access (e.g. our work on dog policy) and our collaboration with forward thinking parts of the farming and landowner community through AFFLO. You also wanted to hear more about the behind-the-scenes political efforts (for which: see this recent newsletter with an update from Guy). You also had some useful things to say about ways we might improve:- Our process for getting involved with local groups is a tad clunky and you’d like more ways to get involved in general. We appreciate establishing local groups can be a bit DIY at the moment. There’s a reality to our capacity but we’ll be investigating ways this process can be streamlined. We should say that actions which may seem minor, like writing to your MP and forwarding us the reply, do have a significant cumulative impact. We’ve been able to build a strong pro-access caucus within parliament because of it. You want more Northern events. Our team is now spread evenly across the country with several new local groups up and running in the north of the country, so expect action on this soon (in fact, see below…) You’re split on whether we’re a bit too, well, ‘hippy’ – some of you value the more soulful emphasis on the meaning of access, some of you think it’s potentially offputting to the mainstream. We’ll be aiming our communication efforts at the mainstream this year, while still holding on to the style and spirit which motivates us. Staying focused was another theme which came through: so that’s exactly what we’ll be doing. FINANCIALS Many of you were happy to donate to the campaign but first wanted us to be clearer what donations fund. There’s a brief summary on that at the bottom here (the short answer is: team time, running costs, events). The campaign is primarily funded by small monthly donations from our supporters and runs to pretty tight margins. We do everything we can to keep unnecessary costs down (e.g. we don’t pay for offices and keep a small, lean team). We’re also not the easiest campaign for larger funders to support: so if you can help us keep going, please do! You also wanted more control over your donations – we’ve now set it up so that you’re sent an automatic link when you donate so you can control everything yourself and cancel at any time. We’ve had lots of requests to sell merchandise to raise money. It’s something we’ve thought a lot about and, while we’re loath to put more stuff into the world that might end up in landfill, we are going to experiment with a shop selling the campaign’s popular artwork. We’re making sure this is done to an environmentally high standard. More on that soon. KINDER TRESPASS Apologies to those of you who didn’t receive our recent newsletter about Kinder (there’s an issue with our mailouts we’ve hopefully now resolved). You can read that here. The key information: join us at the annual Kinder trespass swim on April 27th, which you can find out more about here. FOOD IN OUR HANDS For those in the south that weekend, do join our friends at the Landworker’s Alliance on April 26th for ‘Food In Our Hands’, a march calling for the Right to Food and systemic change to our extractive food system. The march will gather from 12pm at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London (SE11 5HL). More details here. RIVER ACTION RIVER KIT The fearsome campaigners over at River Action have just released this brilliant River Kit, with advice and tools covering everything you need to start serving as a guardian of your local river. The example of grassroots river campaigners has been central to the vision we outlined in Wild Service, with connection converting to protection all across the country. It’s a fabulous, inspiring resource. Check it out! Wishing you all bluebells and blackthorn blossom, Jon, On behalf of the Right to Roam team Illustration from the chapter on 'Guardianship' in Wild Service (Credit: Nick Hayes) Take Action Visit our social accounts Check out our site   This email was sent from this site. If you no longer wish to receive this email, change your email preferences here.

FROM PROTERCT THE WILD — THE SECRET MONITOR — AND THE BLOOD LUST OF THE HUNTING FOLLOWERS

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more The Secret Monitor: Quantock Staghounds followers wrecking SSSI with 4x4s Hunt followers are wrecking tracks on the Quantocks SSSI - yet Natural England has given them even more access! CHARLIE MOORES MAR 29 READ IN APP Damaging stories from inside hunting and shooting have been circulating for years. Both industries present a public face that aims to convince politicians and the public alike that everything they do is lawful or ‘sustainable’. The truth is very different, and much of what takes place is out sight. Supporters, clients and even the police seem happy to 'turn a blind eye’- but not everyone is looking the other way. There is always someone watching, always someone listening. The Secret Monitor. In the latest post of an occasional series, the Secret Monitor is back in the west of England talking with another local resident who is utterly fed up of the entitled behaviour of the Quantock Staghounds and their motorised followers… The great British tradition of hunting deer with motorised vehicles. Stag hunting has a long and bloody history in the United Kingdom. Confined to the west country now, it is perhaps the most abhorrent and depraved practice of the hunting community in the whole of the U.K. Even within hunting circles it has long been referred to as ‘a blood sport too far’. Pro-hunt individuals confess that it is the hunting communities’ Achilles heel. Imagine just how bad stag hunting has to be for even die-hard bloodsport enthusiasts to squirm when they think about it...Yet even this disgusting and cruel ‘hobby’ has its followers, and these days almost all of them follow the hunt - onto the Quantocks Site of Special Scientific Interest - from inside a vehicle… I consider myself lucky to be a resident of a village on the Quantocks in West Somerset and to also have the time to regularly walk the hills. It might sound like an idyllic lifestyle, but the peace and tranquillity of this beautiful and (relatively for England) wild landscape is marred by the risk of encountering a stag hunt twice a week from the beginning of August to the end of April. Sadly, the Southwest of England is the last bastion for those who enjoy a good stag hunt. The Hunting Act, has a few unfortunate caveats which allow deer hunting with dogs to carry on to this day. A pair of dogs can be used to flush out any deer that needs either rescuing or putting out of its misery due to injury. Deer can also be flushed to guns for the spurious claim of research and observation. However, none of these make allowance for the hours-long pursuit of a stag to be “brought to bay” which is the traditional sport by which a deer is cruelly chased until it is dead on its feet and shot at close range. None of this is legally allowed as a method of deer culling (it is unlawful to use a vehicle to drive deer unless there is no intention for them to be taken or killed) – yet the hunts claim this is one of the benefits of what they do. There are far more effective and humane ways to lower deer numbers when required - most local landowners and farmers employ a specially trained marksman to undertake this carefully. So, where do the ‘motorised vehicles’ come in? A hunt is particularly reliant on the income it makes from allowing paid followers to watch and feel part of the “sport”. Most followers these days are elderly, cowardly or incompetent riders. Their way of participating in a stag hunt is not to risk a riding accident or getting cold, it is to sit in a 4x4 with a picnic and a flask of their preferred tipple and follow the hunting with their binoculars at hand. Exploiting free parking facilities From the off, the hunt makes obnoxious use of the free parking facilities on the main road running across the top of the hills. One can often find a barrage of 4x4s, horse boxes, quad bikes and motorbikes occupying the limited spaces, which are then very tricky to negotiate should you have thought to drive up for a nice country walk on the Quantock Hills. Sadly, the overbearing presence of hunt-associated vehicles is not limited to the car parks. Most will go off-road onto the hills from these, Wilmot’s Pool and Crowcombe Park, or their other favoured entry points - the National Trust (yes) owned tracks from Staple Plain Car Park, Holford Dog Pound, or the Woodlands Hill lay-by. Visitors to the Quantock Hills benefit from a large number of established tracks, from single track to double track, as well as a multitude of sheep or deer trails across the woods and the rights of “Open Access” to foot visitors. You can amble for miles up and down, in and out of the woodland, across the heathland tops with far-reaching vistas or down sheltered stream valleys (or ‘combes’ as they are known here). The destruction of SSSIs by motorised hunt followers Much of the Quantocks has been labelled a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England because of the ecological importance of its heathlands. The area is largely fenced in to protect free-roaming sheep, ponies and cattle from wandering onto the surrounding busy roads, and there are many gates for access for emergency vehicles or permitted traffic including for forestry work and tending to livestock. Access from the main road across the top of the hills is largely open, due to the cattle grids at each end. Vehicular access is, understandably, restricted due to the sensitivity of the landscape. You and I would cause outrage should we decide to attempt ‘green-laning’ here. On hunt days, though, a walker, leisure horse rider or cyclist, will quite possibly come across an ugly scene of rows of cars parked up along these tracks Hunt followers position themselves on grassy banks, overlooking specific combes out of which they hope to see emerge a fleeing stag or herd, pursued by hounds and riders. These onlookers, often stand grouped outside their cars, looking defensively at passers-by. They will judge you by your outfit (good luck if you don’t clothes shop at Mole Valley Farmers!) or the look of puzzlement or distaste on your face. Walking past is as intimidating as coming across a group of drunk youths on a dark street corner. Direct comments to them about not being allowed on the hills will result in being presented with either a middle finger or a “go back to where you’re from”. If deer appear, shouts of joy will go up, or shouts of direction to the hunt should the animals look to evade them. Worse still, is when they start yelling and honking their car horns in unison to turn back a stag who might seek to get through them and away from the hunters. When radio news indicates that the hunt has moved on to another location, these 4x4s will speed off as a long caravan of 10-20 vehicles, bumping over the tracks to a new position. You don’t have to imagine the damage that this heavy traffic causes to the tracks – just take a look at some of the examples of the deep tyre tracks and verge erosion in the photos attached. Motorbikes and quads bikes rev off the tracks and across the rough ground to assist further. These smaller vehicles can often be seen careering about quite close to the riders and hounds as part of the flushing out and/or pursuit. They will also carry guns or replacement hounds should the first two get lost or tired, and go in to collect the body of any unfortunate victim of the hunt. Who would have thought, that the supposed ”great British tradition” of stag hunting is now completely reliant on motorised vehicles? Why does Natural England allow this? The Quantocks are made up of parcels of land owned by a variety of individuals, organisations and landed gentry. These landowners have an agreement with Natural England regarding where hunt-associated vehicles are permitted to drive. One wonders what case has been made to Natural England for the purpose of these vehicles? It remains a mystery to me. Until recently, a map of these routes was widely available and even endorsed by the police, as it is against the law to drive on protected land without permission. Unsurprisingly, these limits were constantly exceeded. However, years of reporting these Traffic Act contraventions to Avon and Somerset Police, as well as complaints to the Quantock AONB (now National Landscape), Natural England, and (one of the supposedly independent landowners) the National Trust, has led to absolutely no reduction in this practice. And I nearly fell off my seat when I heard in January this year that not only had no action been taken against this traffic, but lo and behold, the permissible tracks have actually been extended. Compare the maps below from 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 - 2024/2025. The extra access to the north of the SSSI is clear to see. ‘Friends’ of the Quantocks Should one venture onto Facebook to the misleadingly named pro-hunt group Friends of the Quantocks (Open Group) and somehow have a post approved about vehicles on the hills – out will come all the local bullies to claim the right to enjoy the hills in that manner and that the drivers are no doubt ”tending to their sheep”. Anyone daring to criticise such driving or the associated hunting (which is a banned topic on the group), is told they are a keyboard warrior, a “Karen” or city dweller with no understanding of the countryside. In their minds, unless you are born and bred here your opinion has no validity. Admins make no effort to put anyone right and make it clear that driving on the land is not welcome or beneficial for the protected landscape. So, no help from the local groups claiming to be for preserving the landscape and biodiversity, no help from the national agency claiming as much and more, nor from the National Trust - and actual active complicity from the local police who turn a blind eye to this unlawful behaviour. There is no doubt that if vehicle access to the ‘hunt’ was banned, this barbarism would stop quickly. Followers fund the hunt - if they couldn’t take part in the ‘chase’ they wouldn't bother turning up. And don’t be in any doubt reading this post either: we locals, countryside dwellers, and even those who have stag hunted in the past, are sick and tired of the Quantock Staghounds and their followers. Not only have backs been turned on them but residents are actively taking to social media, national media and activism to ensure stag hunting in England becomes a thing of the past like bear baiting and slave ownership. You can help tackle stag hunting on the Quantock Hills. Email the AONB authority (quantockhills@somerset.gov.uk) and ask what they’re doing to ensure the stag hunts are hunting within the law (they're not). The same goes for the National Trust (enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk) and Forestry England (customerrelations@forestryengland.uk). And write to Natural England (enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk) requesting an explanation why hunt followers have been given not less but more access to the Quantocks SSSI. Protectors of the Wild Deer and the Law Would you like to contribute to this occasional series and expose the hunts or shoots in your area? We will never publish an author's name or location but will verify the facts with you before posting. Please get in touch. Without monitors and sabs we wouldn’t have articles like this exposing what is REALLY going on in the field. And those monitors and sabs need equipment to keep themselves safe and to record evidence of the crimes being committed in the name of hunting, shooting, and the badger cull. That’s why we set up the Protect the Wild Equipment Fund. We are going to repeat something we have often said on posts like these: without our supporters there is no equipment fund and there is no kit to give out. This is very much a joint effort between Protect the Wild and you. We are the conduit, we liaise with the groups, establish what they need, and work with them to get the kit out to them - but it’s YOU that helps us to fund everything. Sabbing and monitoring - protecting wildlife from the people who want to harm animals - can be dangerous and exhausting. Hunts are losing support and being watched like never before though. So, thank you to the individuals and groups out on the front line - and thank you to every single one of you who are supporting them. Chip in and help those on the frontline SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

A TALE OF COLLUSION AND LIES ABOUT BROOD MEDDLING FROM PROTECT.THE WILD

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Hen Harier Brood Meddling: "Illegal killing of Hen Harriers has continued." Of course it has. Natural England may have had good intentions but landowners were only ever interested in how much money they make sellling grouse CHARLIE MOORES MAR 27 READ IN APP On the 14th March 2025 a blog on the Natural England (NE) website announced the ‘Conclusion of the Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial’. With a curious mix of exaggeration and understatement, John Holmes, NE’s Director, Strategy - Landscape, Peat and Species, wrote that “The experimental trial of hen harrier ‘brood management’ has ended, concluding that this activity has contributed to increased numbers of nesting hen harriers on some grouse moors. However, However, illegal killing of hen harriers has continued, and a range of approaches may continue to be required to maintain and build on the progress we have seen in recent years.” Of course the illegal killing of Hen Harriers continued. And while there is a grouse shooting industry it always will. Hen Harriers Hen Harriers are highly protected birds of prey. They have a varied diet, eating a lot of voles, some Meadow Pipts, and Red Grouse chicks. This is entirely natural, part of a normal upland ecosystem and predator-prey relationship. But it infuriates the shooting industry. Hen Harriers have had legal protection since 1954 and the Protection of Birds Act but in the eyes of extremely wealthy, often highly-subsidised moorland estate owners, every chick eaten is money lost. A chick eaten by a harrier is one less grouse to be sold to the guns. Shooting estates have openly said that if there are ‘too many’ Hen Harriers on a moor they can’t run a profitable business. The industry has had decades to come up with a more sophisticated response than raptor persecution. Requests for ‘help’ should be met with “These are highly protected birds. If you can’t run your business legally, we will close it down”. Instead, Natural England offered up, “These are highly protected birds, but we’re sorry you’re finding them an inconvenience. How about we bend Schedule One rules which forbid the disturbance of protected birds and their chicks and get the taxpayer to move them around the country for you…?” Adopt a Bird Brood meddling Which is exactly what Natural England did. Launched as part of a nonsensical ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan‘ and far more widely known as ‘Hen Harrier brood meddling,’ this highly controversial ‘experiment’ was a conservation sham sanctioned by DEFRA - the government department that, as anyone who has followed the iniquities of the equally sham ‘badger cull’ will know, has an appalling record when it comes to ‘seeking solutions’ focussed on landowners and protected species. Meddling was carried out by Natural England between 2018 – 2024. Remarkably (or perhaps not given the cosiness between governments past and present and shooting lobbyists) they partnered with the very industry responsible for the persecution that had led to the species’ catastrophic decline in England in the first place. The ‘plan’ allowed for the licenced removal of Hen Harrier chicks from grouse moors (once widespread Hen Harriers almost exclusively nest on upland moors now). The chicks were reared in captivity, fitted with lightweight satellite tags to track their movements, and then released back into the uplands. The idea - laughably - was that grouse shoots would ‘appreciate’ the lower density of Hen Harriers on ‘their’ moors and be persuaded not to kill harriers - birds remember protected by law since the 1950s. But this was always going to be a temporary reduction. As Natural England was repeatedly warned would happen, as they grew older the chicks naturally gravitated back to the optimal habitats on the moors where they found the right conditions, and massive (and unnatural) overstocking of Red Grouse. Many would be - and were - quickly and illegally killed. Or to put it in Natural England’s slightly coy language, “Satellite-tagged birds have not shown first-year survival rates at levels that would be expected from populations with no illegal killing.” Taxpayers pumped a colossal amount of money into this doomed ‘plan’ (a widely quoted figure from mid-2023 is £900.000), but no extra money was put into enforcing Hen Harrier protection. Chicks were all fitted with satellite tags, but there was no funding for random checks on moors (landowners refused point blank to allow that), no recruitment of extra investigators, no government-funded undercover surveillance. Neither was there an honest and much-needed calling out of the routine law-breaking by the shooting industry. The paper promises of that same industry - one with zero conservation credibility and serious long-term difficulties with the truth - amounted to absolutely nothing. In fact, as Mr Holmes explains in his blog, rather than being persuaded this was a workable 'solution' to the perceived problem “half of moorland managers thought that the trial had led to increased predation and disturbance of grouse by hen harriers on participating estates.” Adopt a Bird Profit first, grouse second, harriers a long way third… The parallels between DEFRA’s plan to exterminate badgers to appease the farming industry and Natural England’s plan to allow the removal of Hen Harrier chicks from moorland nests to appease the shooting industry are striking. Neither has achieved their supposed objectives: the farming industry is determined to kill badgers no matter what the truth about Bovine Tb, and the shooting industry will always kill Hen Harriers no matter how many ‘plans’ are put in place. It’s hard to know what Natural England honestly expected would happen. Protect the Wild will generously allow that the team at Natural England went into this ‘experimental trial’ with good intentions, that despite all the previous evidence of extensive raptor persecution and the lack of cooperation with the Police or other statutory bodies, they were actually hopeful they could prove that Hen Harriers and the shooting industry could happily co-exist. That the reluctant assurances they received would mean long-term change and respect for the law (and by extension respect for Hen Harriers). We weren’t ‘in the room’ of course, but (to draw an analogy from current events) neither were we on the call between Trump and Putin, but anyone with even half a brain could have predicted that Putin’s ‘promises’ would be broken as soon as he hung up the phone. Putin wants to be allowed to continue swallowing up part of Europe with no interference from NATO, and the shooting industry wants to be allowed to kill whatever it judges impacts its profits with no interference from Natural England, the Police, or the rest of us. We should be entirely clear-eyed about this. The grouse shooting industry kills Hen Harriers for one reason and one reason alone. It thinks that birds of prey - and Hen Harriers in particular - impact the profits it makes from selling Red Grouse to its clients. It went along with the sham ‘trial’ because it hoped it might make more profit by legally (for a change) getting rid of harriers, and it hoped it would convince an increasingly sceptical public that it was capable of farming birds for the gun without getting caught breaking the law. Never enough The nub of the problem is that like Putin and his land-grabbing, the industry doesn’t delineate ‘how much more’ it wants - it just wants more. The industry has never put a limit on how many grouse it can rear and sell (owners sell what they term ‘ surplus’, a vile term that should never be applied to wild birds or any other living animal). Estimates are that moors are currently stocked at up to ten times the natural density of grouse and estates are already allowed to legally trap and kill as many mammalian predators as possible to ensure things remain that way. There is no legal limit on how many birds can be shot. A group of around ten clients can expect to kill around 200 birds a day. The fee for the privilege of standing in a butt while a lackey feeds you a constant supply of pre-loaded guns runs into the thousands of pounds. A Tatler article once tellingly described the ‘sport of kings’ as “uniting everyone from old school aristocracy to modern-day billionaires” - how’s that for a jaw-dropping example of inclusivity…but it shows (even if slightly exaggerated) what is at the heart of the so-called ‘conflict’ between wildlife and moorland managers: money. Adopt a Bird The killing continued Given its concerns with ‘money above all else’, why would Natural England think the greedy shooting estates, bloated on their ‘aristocratic’ connections and used to obsequious unquestioning support from even modern-day media, might row back on ‘illegality’ when it was being handed everything it wants? This was never (to again use a current analogy) a ‘coalition of the willing’. This was an entirely one-sided ‘plan’ which would only ever benefit the shooting industry - and even then they couldn't give up on their routine fallback: criminality. Far from being even remotely grateful that they’d persuaded government to listen to their pitiful whining about ‘conflict’ (despite what they want us to think, only ever used by the industry in a financial context), estates simply carried on killing Hen Harriers. The remarkable Raptor Persecution UK (RPUK) website has kept a rolling tally, using their own formidable contact list and compiling police reports, of Hen Harriers killed since the ‘trial’ began. Thanks in very large part to RPUK, we know that in total fifteen Hen Harrier nests were brood meddled during the trial period and 58 chicks released back into the uplands. We know too that at least 30 of those brood meddled chicks were either killed or ‘disappeared in suspicious circumstances’ (a euphemism used for legal reasons to convey an element of doubt where there is almost total certainty). These killings - as GPS data from satellite-tagging proved - took place mostly on or close to driven grouse moors. Many were killed within a few weeks or months of being released. In addition to those 30 young birds, RPUK lists (by name in nearly all cases) another 104 Hen Harriers that were killed or ‘disappeared’ during the brood meddling trial period. As RPUK notes, that figure “will definitely rise” once police reports on further cases are published. Caught red-handed, the door should have been firmly shut on any plans to further appease the industry. Plans to dismantle it should have been set in place. Incredibly, though, the Moorland Association (a shooting lobbyist organisation made up of wealthy landowners) has suggested that it will come back to the negotiating table under a set of conditions which outrageously includes that the ‘trial’ requirement for brood meddled Hen Harrier chicks to be satellite-tagged should be dropped! That’s somewhat akin to burglars, rapists, and murderers demanding that DNA evidence be dropped from trials in court. Adopt a Bird No licencing A handful of Hen Harriers killed by the industry during a ‘trial’ specifically designed to placate it would have been a huge snub to Natural England. These actual figures - which only include birds that we know about and not the unrecorded ‘clean’ (untagged) individuals ‘nolled’ (as gamekeepers caught in a covert recording by the RSPB and broadcast on Channel 4 news) termed it - should have been a devastating rebuff that proved once and for all that estates are (to use the term applied to fox hunting by some police forces) little more than a collection of organised crime gangs. Indeed, the killing of Hen Harriers and other birds of prey has been identified by the National Wildlife Crime Unit as organised crime and the people involved are an Organised Group. As the renowned Northern England Raptor Forum put it in a blog, “That is what they are and we should never lose sight of that fact.” There is no good reason at all for this industry to exist. Alongsde a long list of damage and harm it causes, the fact is - as the ‘trial’ has proved - it will kill Hen Harriers as long as there are Hen Harriers to kill. But the response to these ‘bad actors’ is to suggest that ‘grouse moor licencing’ will somehow curtail their worst instincts. Even leaving aside its long and inglorious history of persecution and hatred of native predators, the more than a hundred Hen Harriers killed during the ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan’ should be enough for even the most pliant of ‘on the fence’ shooting neutrals to know that suggestion is absolute bollocks. We’ve explained our position before but as the evidence piles up, we will repeat it again. We will never support a grouse moor licencing system because: Licencing means accepting that the mass slaughter of grouse (and the killing of native predators on grouse moors) is ‘okay’. It is not. It legitimises it and we find that unacceptable; Birds of prey like Hen Harriers ostensibly already have all the legal protection they should need, the problem is that the laws are widely ignored. We see no reason to believe that situation will change; Right now there is barely any enforcement of existing legislation. No estate has ever handed over criminal gamekeepers voluntarily, and no extra police or investigators are currently being confirmed as part of the licencing ‘offer’; Landowners dont want it and won’t agree to it, and even if a licencing system could be made robust (which it won’t be as Scotland’s fox hunting licencing system has dramatically proved recently) defence lawyers will entangle any cases in the courts for years while estates carry on regardless; And licencing acts like a blank slate for all the criminality that has taken place over the decades since raptor persecution was made illegal. The future of ‘brood meddling’ Incredibly, John Holmes concludes his blog by saying “At time of publication, no decisions have been made on any future [brood meddling] licences.” In other words, the so-called ‘partnership’ between NE and the shooting industry has “now closed”, but there is still the possibility that licences for Hen Harrier brood meddling might be rolled out on a wider, annual basis. That is ridiculous. Numerous partnerships designed to protect birds of prey that involved the grouse shooting industry have failed. A recent example is The Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative which began in 2011. The RSPB quit in 2018, and the initiative was killed off in April 2023. In a very similar vein, in May 2023 three years after it was set up, the RSPB finally quit The Yorkshire Dales Birds of Prey Partnership - which involved BASC, CLA, National Gamekeepers Organisation, and Moorland Association - followed by the Northern England Raptor Forum walking away in September 2024. The Hen Harrier Action Plan was doomed from the outset. When one side mocks, taunts, and has zero respect for the other side, the outcome is inevitable. The well-worn quote about insanity and doing the same thing expecting different results applies here. The shooting industry has had since 1954 to stop killing Hen Harriers. It has had chance after chance to reform and instead it has become an increasingly reviled, distrusted, anachronism. Protect the Wild campaigns on three key issues: stopping fox hunting, stopping the badger cull, and stopping bird shooting. It is widely acknowledged that despite legislation banning hunting with hounds, Police forces and politicians have enabled fox hunting to continue with few consequences. It is becoming accepted that despite legislation protecting badgers, Defra has given landowners a green light to kill as many of them as they can. It would be a disaster for Natural England if they ignored the evidence and the results of their own ‘trial’ and enabled the shooting industry to continue killing birds of prey with impunity. Adopt a Bird By adopting a bird with Protect the Wild you will help us put ‘eyes in the field’ to tackle raptor persecution, our campaign efforts to get proper protection for all bird species, and change attitudes about shooting and the shooting industry. As an adopter you will receive an exclusive Protect the Wild adoption pack including our cuddly owlet, glossy photo, and an information fact sheet. SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing

ORGANIC FARMS AND BEING NATURE FRIENDLY MAY NOT ALWAYS CO-EXIST

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Are 'organic farms' as nature-friendly as we think? Not always... Wildlife persecution still occurs on some organic farms, as a horrified Protect the Wild supporter recently told us. PROTECT THE WILD MAR 26 READ IN APP Organic farms are celebrated for being better for wildlife than conventional farms. This is undoubtedly true, with research showing that organic enterprises support much more biodiversity than other farms. But as a horrified Protect the Wild supporter recently discovered, wildlife persecution still occurs on some organic farms. Protect the Wild breaks it down. On 8 March, Protect the Wild supporter Kinlay took a walk in the Somerset countryside and came across a young man in a field with an air rifle. Kinlay discovered he was carrying out 'pest control' for a farmer, and was trying to shoot Wood Pigeons and squirrels. Knowing the area, Kinlay understood that the farmland in question was run by a local organic producer, Leigh Court Farm. So, she reached out to the company about the situation via email. The farm manager confirmed that he had instructed the young man to carry out targeted shooting, arguing that it was necessary due to the damage that pigeons cause to crops. In the email exchange, the manager fell back on an all-too-familiar 'pests' trope, and told her that "most farms that have this sort of problem do it". He further said: "farmers have shot or trapped or otherwise killed pests since farming began. Pigeons in particular are our most costly pest, we do cover our crops with enormous pieces of plastic mesh to protect them but this doesn't always work." Kinlay and some of the friends she has spoken to about the situation are horrified. While there was no reason to believe the air rifle was being used unlawfully, she told the farmer that killing birds like this was pointless. In one email she told him that Wood Pigeons are: "far too numerous to control by wandering around with an airgun - any that are shot will soon be replaced: it's useless tokenism at best, and highly misleading to your customers at worst." As Kinlay's comments suggest, what has so outraged her about this situation is that the farm has "green credentials" as an organic producer, yet it is engaging in an activity that is distinctly non-wildlife friendly where Wood Pigeons are concerned. green lettuce plant Photo by Ronan Furuta on Unsplash Donate to Protect the Wild Organic farming standards In the UK, farmers must be certified to label their products as organically produced. The government maintains a list of approved 'organic control bodies', meaning organisations that can certify farmers. There are currently eight organisations on this approved list, two of which are based in Ireland. Some names will undoubtedly be familiar, such as the Soil Association, whereas others like the Biodynamic Association Certification may not. Each of these organisations produces standards that farmers must meet to be certified. Their precise requirements for certification may vary but they are based on legally-binding standards. In terms of arable farming, these organic standards centre around ensuring soil health and controlling unwanted plants (weeds) and animals (certain insects, rodents, etc) with particular methods, as the government has highlighted. Pesticide use is, for instance, heavily prohibited in organic farming. As Organic UK (The Organic Trade Board) points out, some pesticides are approved for use but several of them are naturally occurring substances like beeswax and plant oils. Instead of applying harmful chemicals to crops, organic farmers "rely on crop rotation, well-timed cultivation, hand or mechanical weeding and carefully selected crop varieties," Organic UK explains. Protect the Wild contacted all the UK-based certifiers to ask if they provide specific guidance to farmers on tackling birds considered to be crop 'pests', as explicit details on this in their standards tend to be lacking. None of the certifiers responded. But when it comes to 'pest control' of the kind that Kinlay witnessed, it appears that standard farm rules may well apply. To take one example, the Organic Food Federation's standards state the following: "General pest control should be maintained for areas of your farm including buildings, stores, animal housing, yards and field boundaries where appropriate. You can use all legal methods of controlling vermin." It's also important to note that some farmers do not own the land they occupy and may be held to other standards by their landowner. For instance, the farmer who Kinlay spoke to rents land from the National Trust and he said that controlling 'pests' is a condition of the lease. We asked the trust whether it provides guidelines or standards to tenant farmers on dealing with birds considered crop 'pests'. A National Trust spokesperson said: "In many farm tenancies the tenant may have rights or obligations to manage or lethally control wildlife and are permitted to control vermin as part of their tenancy agreement. Other legal rights or responsibilities may also be held by the tenant. All activities by our tenants must always comply with relevant laws. We follow international principles for ethical wildlife management, placing lethal control as a last resort. In addition, there are a wide range of laws that protect wild animals and govern many aspects of wildlife management in the UK. Any management on Trust land must be carried out in line with these laws, as well as Trust policy and wider best practice." pair of wood pigeons Wood Pigeons. Image Shutterstock Donate to Protect the Wild What are the legal methods available? As we explain in our Protectors of the Wild pages, all wild birds are protected by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. However, the government issues what are called General Licences that allow owners or occupiers of land, who are referred to as 'authorised persons', to kill some wild birds in certain specific circumstances. One of these general licences – GL42 – allows for authorised persons to kill or 'take' several bird species for the purposes of preventing "serious damage" to farmed animals, crops, and other foodstuffs. Under this licence, Wood Pigeons can be killed by authorised persons to prevent serious damage to crops, fruit and vegetables, as well as to foodstuffs for farmed animals. Owners and occupiers of land, such as farmers, are supposed to try other methods first, such as non-lethal deterrents like bird-scarers (the gas guns many of us will be familiar with, for example). But according to the law as long as farmers abide by the government's rules, shooting certain birds in certain situations can be perfectly legal. Just because it is legal though, doesn't make it right. Protect the Wild firmly believes that non-lethal alternatives should be prioritised in any situations where so-called wildlife control is deemed necessary. We reject the notion that wildlife is ours to ‘manage’ and advocate a relationship with Nature that is centred on reciprocity not oppression. Considering that organic farming is centred around the idea of working with Nature too, we would have hoped that this principle would be a guiding light for how organic farmers interact with all wildlife. Relying on non-lethal methods But Kinlay's experience shows that this isn't necessarily the case across the board. However, there are organic producers that use non-lethal alternatives, which they have found to be adequate. Garden Organic is a charity that has been championing organic growing for over half a century. Although its experience lies in garden settings, such as vegetable gardens, rather than agriculture, its head gardener Emma O'Neill has outlined several strategies that growers can use to deter pigeons from their "prized vegetables." Strategies include covering crops and creating physical barriers to stop the birds being able to access plants, as well as deploying visual and auditory deterrents. Donate to Protect the Wild Shooting is not an apt companion to organic farming There are other ways some organic farms fall short on treating wild lives with the respect they deserve too. As Protect the Wild's bloodbusiness directory shows, some farms utilise parts of their land for commercial shooting. We list businesses in this directory that in one way or another support hunting with dogs and/or the shooting of birds or mammals. The directory was launched in July 2024, with the intention of empowering people to make informed choices about their spending. rushall organics wiltshire There are several organic farms listed on bloodbusiness.info that support either shooting or hunting. For instance, both South Penquite Farm in Cornwall and Oxleaze Farm in Gloucestershire are known to host hunts. Meanwhile, Rushall Organics in Wiltshire runs a shoot on its land. Carswell Farm in Devon is part of a wider estate that also hosts a shoot. Other farms not yet listed on bloodbusiness.info that run shoots include Chedworth Manor Farm, an organic dairy farm, and Lower Blakemere Farm. This latter business is a tenant on Duchy of Cornwall land and is a regenerative farm rather than an organic one. As the Soil Association has highlighted, this is an important distinction because though these farming practices are similar, there is currently no legal definition for regenerative farming. This means it is not subject to the requirements and auditing that are necessary for organic certification. Commercial bird shooting is a deeply anti-Nature affair. Naturally, it's horrific for the pheasants and partridges who endure being scared into the sky by 'beaters' and then shot at in the air by a line of waiting 'guns'. These non-native birds are released by the millions for shooting in the UK each year and they are considered a danger to native wildlife, due in part to the impacts of their eating habits on other wildlife, both plants and animals. Moreover, wildlife organisations estimate that hundreds of thousands of other birds die from poisoning each year due to the lead shot left scattered around the countryside from shooting. Mammals that predate on target birds like grouse are routinely snared and trapped on shooting estates. The industry is also associated with significant levels of illegal raptor persecution. Considering all this, Protect the Wild finds it incredible that any organic farms think sport shooting is an apt companion to their farming operations, which are supposed to have 'working with Nature' at their core. Protect the Wild supports the rise in organic farming and all the benefits it brings, including to wildlife. But we believe the examples outlined here fall short of the ethical standards most people would expect from them. As the Soil Association says, organic farming is centered around the principles of health, ecology, care, and fairness. Farmers should ensure these principles are extended to their treatment of birds they term all too readily as 'pests' and be more 'nature-friendly' when it comes to how wildlife is treated on the rest of their land too. Want to support Protect the Wild? Pick up something in our online shop! All profits fund our vital work fighting for British wildlife. Shop SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing