Good morning!
This newsletter has good news on Beavers, news on our ongoing legal challenge of DEFRA's inadequate burning regulations, a lack-of-progress report on Natural England's Hen Harrier reintroduction plans, a brief update on a meeting with our legal team, changes to our website, something on lead ammunition and a few more words on Beavers.
1. Congratulations to Trees for Life:Trees for Life have won a significant legal victory in Scotland for Beavers. They took a challenge that resulted in the current licences for Beaver-killing being declared unlawful. NatureScot will have to think hard, and think again on this subject. We're pleased that we gave some financial and moral support to this challenge. For more information see our blog - click here.
2. Burning bogs - we are appealing: last week we told you that we had just been refused permission for judicial review of DEFRA's burning regulations. This week, after a meeting with our lawyers, we can tell you that we have appealed that decision (we are seeking renewal of our claim). It's not over yet and we will give it our best shot. We are also challenging the allocation of costs to the Interested Parties, namely BASC, Countryside Alliance, the National Gamekeepers' Organisation and the Moorland Association. For more information see our blog - click here.
3. Hen Harrier southern reintroduction: Natural England is still spending time and effort on a struggling vanity project on Hen Harrier reintroduction to southern England. We reminded them of the terrible job that they have done so far and how they have other, more important, things to do. For more information see our blog - click here.
4. Strategy meeting with our legal team: we were in London on Thursday seeing a bunch of lawyers face to face, rather than on a computer screen, for the first time in ages. It was a rather similar meeting three years ago, with many of the same people, that brought Wild Justice into existence. We've come a long way since that first meeting. This time we reviewed cases, made plans for future work and, yes, we drank some wine too. We're happy to be working with such a dedicated and talented group of barristers, lawyers and paralegals.
5. Website refresh: we'll be reviewing changes to our website over the weekend and they will roll out over the next couple of weeks, we reckon. Thank you for all your comments - we hope you'll like the modest changes we're going to make. Many of the changes are below the surface so you won't see much difference but the website will be even easier for us to use.
6. Lead ammunition: we have responded to a consultation on lead ammunition by submitting the data we collected on high levels of lead in game meat sold in Sainsbury's and Waitrose supermarkets. We've made our data available to the decision makers - let's see whether they act. And we'll be collecting more data very soon - perhaps from a supermarket near you.
6. More on Beavers:we have responded to a consultation on Beaver reintroductions by pointing out to the Secretary of State for DEFRA that he is failing to list the Beaver as a European Protected Species whereas Scotland does, and that he lists Beavers as an 'animal not normally present' in England even though wild populations have existed for years. George Eustice should get out more. For more information see our blog - click here.
That's not all we've done this week, but it gives you a flavour of what we've been up to.
Thank you to everyone who donated to our work after last week's newsletter - you're very generous, and donations are our only source of income. But we completely understand that not everyone can donate and that different people help us in different ways. Forwarding this newsletter to your friends is an easy way to help spread the word and they can subscribe, free, to this newsletter through this link - click here. We produce about 30-35 newsletters each year, and after a quiet spell during the summer there may be several over the next few weeks. We'll soon be telling you how you can respond to Natural Resources Wales's consultation on general licences.
That's it for now - have a good week. We'll be back again quite soon.
Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).
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