IT’S IN THE NEWS THOSE THAT ARE ANTI-VACCINATIONS - HERE’S WHAT I THINK

 (I EXCLUDE THOSE WHO MEDICALLY SHOULD NOT RECEIVE A  JAB)

I’

hey, anti-vaxxer

I want to jab you and jab you and jab you

and if that isn’t enough I will jab you yet again

get the message

you are unsafe

it’s the virus in your body I want to control

and to get right at it I have to control you too

but no matter even if it’s democratic to hold your own view

I don’t care 

now you considerate souls

fast forward for anti-vaxxers have the ether platform 

pedestal high pulpit high shouting what they will not do

their choice for hell

my choice is to avoid

my choice to exclude them

my choice to remain safe

we all have that freedom to choose

and not to pass on the virus

as there could be no choice but to receive

from the passer-on

do the maths

play the numbers

and live on 

with the freedom I hold precious 

for that is my choice to deny Covid et al.

I suppose you don’t take ‘the knee either’

and don’t tell me it is political. So sod-off.

John Edwards (C) 20th June 2021

LAST TRIP OUT OF 2021

 

One of three Turnstones at the Salt Tower.

Two Temmenick´s Stint at El Hondo

Two of six Whiskered Terns seen just off the boardwalk at El Hondo

Finally the ´Big One´, Spotted Eagle.

Thanks to Bryan for all of his photos and his company over the last year.  Hears to a happy healthy year filled with family, friend and birding!!

WILD JUSTICE NEWSLETTER 92 - I SUPPORT THEM

 Good morning!  This newsletter contains a short summary of what Wild Justice has done in 2021 but let's start with some petitions that we think you might want to support.

 

Petitions

• Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife - click here
• DEFRA plans for a limited ban of peat use by 2024, that's not good enough - click here 
• And for new readers, because there always are new readers, and anyone who didn't get around to it before, then Prof Dave Goulson's petition on garden pesticides is well worth a look and has passed 40,000 signatures with just under a month to go - click here.

 

Review of 2021

Here’s a quick run through our work in 2021 – for more details see individual blog posts:

January: our challenge of the legality of Natural Resources Wales's (NRW) general licences elicits very useful clarification of the need for there to be a ‘present danger’ to species of conservation concern for lethal control to be authorised.

February: in England, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launches gamebird release consultation as a result of Wild Justice’s legal challenge – hundreds and hundreds of Wild Justice supporters take the opportunity to respond. Our petition to the Westminster government on Badgers passes 100,000 signatures (but still awaits a Westminster Hall debate).

March: Wild Justice is a member of the Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) partnership which launches a petition calling for legally binding targets in the Environment Bill – great response from Wild Justice supporters. We write to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to point out flaws in their general licences which open them up for legal action, We write to NRW about their lack of response to the legal judgment in January on general licences.

April: as part of WCL, Wild Justice supports the End Wildlife Crime campaign ahead of the May elections for Police and Crime Commissioners.

May: tests of Sainsbury’s game meat show that they have high levels of lead but we give Waitrose the benefit of the doubt in showing some signs of improvement in line with what they had told their customers. We highlight a potential breach of the general licences described in the pages of a shooting magazine.

June: Wild Justice writes to Natural England about the very poor quality of their IUCN assessment for their Hen Harrier reintroduction project. WCL petition on Environment Bill passes 200,000 signatures. Wild Justice’s Ban driven grouse shooting petition is debated in Westminster Hall. Despite appeals, we lost our challenge on the humaneness of Badger culling in England.

July: Wild Justice starts a legal challenge over the DEFRA feeble Heather and Grass Burning regulations. In Northern Ireland, DAERA issue a consultation on changes to their general licences in response to Wild Justice’s concerns over their scientific and legal flaws. Shooting Times columnist changes his story and says that what he wrote in the magazine was untrue.

August: Wild Justice broadcasts a Hen Harrier Day programme highlighting the importance of the uplands for people, for the climate and for wildlife. NRWconsults on general licences in Wales following our legal challenge. Wild Justice writes to local authorities in England and Wales about their use of glyphosate .

September: The Pheasant-shooting season approaches with, in England, restrictions on numbers that can be released thanks to Wild Justice’s legal challenge on gamebird release numbers.

October: Scotland-based Trees for Life win an important legal challenge over Beaver protection which Wild Justice supported financially. As the COP26 starts in Glasgow our e-action, for people, for the climate and for wildlife passes 37,000 emails sent to every elected politician in the four UK national legislative bodies.

November: the Environment Act becomes law and includes a legally binding target on species abundance thanks to the WCL campaign in which Wild Justice played a very active role.

December: DAERA, finally, concede the unlawfulness of their general licences, issue new improved interim general licences and commit to consulting on the way forward. Wild Justice highlights continuing high leadlevels in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Harrods game meat.

 

 

We expect 2022 to be an even busier year for Wild Justice.  If you like what we are doing, please consider making a donation through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here. Our work is funded solely by donations.

 

Thank you, and we wish you a Happy New Year.

 

Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).

 

BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY

 

Dear John Thank you for your loyalty, dedication and support as a BTO member. We look forward to a new year in which we will use more of BTO's remarkable discoveries and outstanding science to inspire, inform and, importantly, help us work towards a better future for the natural world. Best wishes from

Looking back on the last 12 months as CEO of BTO, I'm so proud to see just how much we have accomplished together. I'm delighted to share this short film with you highlighting some of the many joys and successes of 2021. You have played a vital role in helping us achieve all of this and more - thank you. I wish you and your family a happy and healthy New Year. I'm excited to see what it holds for us, as together we discover more about our brilliant birds and help others learn about and cherish the world around them.

GRAN ALACANT TO EL HONDO AND RETURN, ALICANTE, SPAIN

The last day but one to get another day out birding in 2021. Thursday 30th was a day of full sun with temperatures going as high as 22 degrees. Recently we have undertaken more or less similar routes between Gran Alacant and El Hondo so that we are aware of any changes.

This morning we stopped at the lagoons down the hill from the Santa Pola turn off and got lucky straighway a Cetti’s Warbler -Ruiseñor called, popped up and flew in front of us. On a distant pylon a Peregrin Falcon - Halcón Peregrino and a Little Bittern - Avetorillo Común called. 

At the Salt Tower three Turnstones - Vuelvepiedras Común flew in to be photographed. We notice that the water level was lower leaving a muddy margin. One Dunlin - fed on the edge of the rocks. The ‘Stones’ gave us distant views of 24 Spoonbills - Espátula Común and a very large number of Flamingos. On the water at least 70 plus Wigeon - Silbon Europea. We counted six Large Egrets - Garceta Grande as well. 

El Pinet had reduced water levels too with the nearest lagoons in puddles. Little Stints - Correlimos  Menudo and Dunlin -  Correlimos Común fed together. There was one Redshank - Archibebe Común and the usual Avocets.

We quickly moved on as we wanted to photograph ‘the big one’- Aguila Moteada and it was in the same tree as before. This time Bryan got it on camera and you can judge what you see. 

Flying at the back was a pale morph Booted Eagle - Agulilla Calzada and a Buzzard - Busardo Ratonero. Jackdaws - Grajillo called and perched even in the same tree as Moteada and that gave a size comparison. Bryan spooked a Hoopoe - Abubilla and it perched nearby.

We decided to give the lagoons near the information centre and it did pay off although there were too many people around for us! Bryan go straight on to a Temminck’s Stint that was really close by and photographed. A large number of Black Winged Stilts - Ciguelnuela Común

with four perched and two Whiskered Terns - Fumarel Carriblanco flying over. So graceful to watch and over-wintering here. Adding to the species number Snipe - Agachadizza Común, two Greenshank - Archibebe Claro, and again Dublin and Little Stint. 

We, of course, wanted another good bird for our return journey but had to settle for a Common Buzzard. Two of them for the day and three Booted Eagles. A good way to the day 2021

100 WORD SHORT STORY ON WHY TRAIL HUNTING SHOULD BE BANNED

 HOMEWARD

The roots of the spinney’s trees gave safety to her cubs’ den. Traveling for home until the shrill horn call came. The hounds yowled on finding her scent. She took the open field and away. Closer now and headed for cover. Men had been there before - this holt entrance was dug closed. Turning, she faced the pack, and ran into the thicket. The manor’s bleak stone wall stood tall and silent. She leapt as the lead hound bit hard and her scream cut the air. They gathered, saw the frenzy, as life oozed away. Cubs safe for now with archaic tradition maintained.

LAGUNAS DE LO MONTE ON THE BORDER OF MURCIA WITH ALICANTE

It was like a summer evening (in England) in full sun, hardly a whiff of a breeze and the lagoons as still as a mill pond. That was us this evening awaiting the sun going down to see what birds came into roost. In the evening sunshine there was plenty of small stuff in the air with midges and the like so it did feel like England - well just a bit!

There was nothing exceptional on the water. I counted 15 Common Pochard - Porrón Europea, which dispersed when two Yellow Legs - Gaviota Patiamarilla splashed down on the water with almost the same number of Little Grebes - Zampullin Común. Cormorants - Cormorán Grande are here most times and with those coming into roost I counted 14 on this one lagoon.

There are always smaller birds and a Robin - Petirroja popped up with Cetti’s calling - Ruiseñor Bastardo from the reeds. Black Redstarts - Colirrojo Tizon were there too but we have not seen that many this winter. 

The star bird had to be a first winter Blue throat - Pechiazul which Michelle captured on camera.  All arguments welcome! And I  won’t kick you off!

 

BACK TO THE CLASS WAR AGAIN WITH OPPOSITION TO ‘TRAIL-HUNTING’

 IT’S STILL GOING ON “TRAIL-HUNTING” AS A SMOKESCREEN FOR KILLING WITH HOUNDS.

The following few lines come from a tweet.  

Chris Packham calls Boxing Day 'trail' hunts a 'smokescreen for cruelty' (Metro News) . . . because it is . . . as well as punching horses , stabbing foxes with forks and whipping and shooting their hounds . It’s a vile anachronistic savagery .

I used to regularly watch the hunt as a tradition but not anymore. 

POEM FOR THE NORWEGIAN GIFT THAT STANDS IN NTRAFALGAR SQUARE LONDON

 

The Fourth King

Sinéad Morrissey

They found me high
above the breathing canopy,
tightjacketed prodigy—
interstellar silence
laced through my hair
and frost like a tapestry
nailed to my door.

Such absolute dark
above my tippy-top
spangled crown,
ballooning sky-shot
Arctic greens draped
winter’s finest shawl
about my shoulders.

Unstable starship
of the planet,
your lungs are my fingers—
their feather-thin million
branching endings:
tiny-bright tiny-light
redeemers of air.

Spectacular child
in the barn, who fell
like a comet or windfall,
I also attend—
I also stand, in all
my pine-needle finery,
and shine.

INJUSTICE ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 24. WE DESERVE THIS?

 

The final action

From human rights to climate change, petitions to crafting, this December you’ve joined us in trying to make the world a brighter place. Whether you’ve taken 1 action, all 23, or somewhere in between, thank you for taking time out of your day to act for a better world. You’re truly amazing! Our final action is something special and unique to you, and we think it’s the most important action of all.  If you're celebrating, have a wonderful Christmas and we'll see you in the new year!

JOHN LE CARRÉ HIS LAST ONE - SILVERVIEW

 Book Review

Title.                      Silverview

Author.                  John Le Carré

Published by.        Viking 

                              an imprint of

                              Penguin Books

This was enjoyment. A perfect read, I felt, even before getting half way through the 207 pages.

I lost myself in the new life that Julian Lawndsley had created for himself in a small seaside town after a high flying job in the City. The new venture, was to establish an upper-crust bookshop, and then Edward turns up. There is much more on the newcomer’s mind than books, but the story carries on and seemingly unimportant matters arise. 

It would be stupid to assume that it is a story of a sleepy town with paperback readers ensconced in the conventional striped deck chairs. The characters are introduced with flair and Julian, God bless him, is drawn into the passing intrigue as though he was placed there! Ideas get aired and the bookshop is almost doing well when the computers go missing. There are several added twists with Deborah, her daughter and, seemingly erroneous characters entering the fray.

As one can assume with Le Carré there is always sleight of hand, sentences that mean something else although totally innocent in context, and letters being delivered by Julian. Surely he cannot be that innocent or naive? Then we get the arrival of the men in suits and clearly there is or has been a problem. The story is ramped up from there. The dilemma that faces the spy masters and those in power has to be solved and the story concluded. I wonder, did Le Carré, expect heads to roll?

I like the way the book starts with a moral issue that altered the professional course of one of the characters. There is very little I can add except to say from a master craftsman what else would you expect! And now no more books from this superb writer. He died in December 2020.

INJUSTICE ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 22 - TAKE TREE OFF THE MENU

 

Day 22: Take trees off the menu

Above image: Wampis woman, northern Peru (Photo: Dan Haworth-Salter, Forest People's Programme) Tropical deforestation and habitat destruction are increasing, driven by the global demand for forest-risk commodities, such as imported beef, palm oil, soy for livestock feed, coffee, cacao, timber, paper and pulp. At the frontline of deforestation, Indigenous Peoples are suffering climate impacts and severe human rights abuses, and biodiversity is decreasing at an alarming rate. To tackle the climate and nature crises, support Indigenous communities and help prevent further pandemics, we must reduce consumption of unsustainably produced forest commodities. So, whether you’re an organisation, group or individual, commit to taking action today by reading our Practical Ways to Protect Tropical Forests guide below.

Wild Justice 91 - details of the interim NI general licences

 Today, we can bring you news of progress on general licences in both Northern Ireland and in Wales.

New Northern Ireland interim general licences: following the news the week before last that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs had conceded that they had to replace their flawed and unlawful general licences, new interim licences were issued late on Friday afternoon(anyone would think that DAERA didn't want anyone to notice).

There are three general licences covering lethal control of wild birds in Northern Ireland; to protect public health or safety, to protect livestock or crops from serious damage and to protect the conservation of wild birds.

The licences aren't great, they retain many of the legal flaws of their predecessors but there are a significant number of species/licence combinations removed. No longer do the Northern Ireland authorities seem to think that Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon are threats to the conservation of other wild birds. That's some progress.  The three gull species are all removed - that's progress too. And the Rook has disappeared from the conservation and health licences - more progress.

This is the table that DAERA sent us earlier in the week, where the blacked out cells of the table are species that have been removed following our legal challenge.

 

 

We have compared the general licences across the four UK nations on our blog - click here.  Northern Ireland is arguably the least friendly UK regime towards our native birds as far as general licences are concerned.

An update on general licences in Wales:  we recently received, as perhaps did some of you, the following update from NRW.  'We would like to provide a quick update following the email we sent in November after the close of our consultation on NRW’s approach to regulating the shooting and trapping of wild birds and the destruction of eggs and nests.

Given the scale of the response we had to the consultation, we have taken the decision that when the four current general licences which authorise lethal control (GL001, GL002, GL004 and GL005) expire on the 31st December 2021, we would reissue them for a short period into 2022. This is to give us time to consider the best way forward in relation to the proposals in the consultation paper.

We recognise the need for certainty for general licence users and the need for a period of time to enable a lead in before any changes are made. As a result we can now confirm that we will be reissuing GL001, GL002, GL004 and GL005 unchanged to run from the 1st January to the 30th June 2022. These licences will be available from our website shortly. We are then aiming to publish the outcome of our review, including any changes to general licences, at least two months before the reissued general licences expire.'.

This is very slow... We think NRW should be moving much more quickly. We will continue to monitor events. 

However, slow though it is, there is progress across the UK on general licences: in clarifying them, restricting their scope and reducing the number of species covered by such licences.  This progress is quite remarkable over less than three years and has been driven by Wild Justice with the backing of our supporters.  Thank you!  

 

If you like what we do then please share these newsletters with your friends, or with members of your natural history society or workmates if you think they'd be interested in learning about the work of Wild Justice and becoming a part of that work through signing petitions, writing letters and sometimes donating to our projects. Anyone interested can sign up to this newsletter through our website - click here.

Thanks - that's it for now and it's nearly Christmas.

 

Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).

AVAAZ DECLARES - A GIANT LEAP FOR LIFE ON EARTH

 8 years. 96 months. Or just short of 3,000 days.

That's how long scientists say we have to cut carbon emissions by more than half, end the extinction crisis, and avoid an all-out ecological collapse.

We need a total transformation of our societies -- but there's a way we can do it...

A Harvard University team has found a golden 'rule' for creating social transformation: any non-violent cause that mobilises just 3.5% of a population reaches a tipping point where change is virtually guaranteed.

And with almost 70 million members globally, representing almost 1% of the world population, alongside thousands of other organisations and movements, together we could be inching toward the precious threshold of 3.5% of the world engaged in this urgent transformation!

But time is running out, and we need to grow, fast. We need more staff in more places, working to mobilise more Avaaz members, and unite movements, Indigenous people, youth activists and parents, on everything from climate change to political campaigning and human rights, all in a thundering global effort to help save life on Earth.

If just 10,000 of us donate just the cost of a cup of coffee a week, in 2022 we can launch a plan to do just that, going all out to create a turning point for life on Earth. We can still save our future -- but we MUST act now. Chip in now:

INJUSTICE ADVENT CALENDAR DAY NINETEEN - CONSERVATION IS ABOUT PEOPLE

 

Day 19    Inclusion at the heart of conservation

Conservation is about people, not just about animals and their habitats. In pursuit of environmental conservation, Western individuals and organisations have a troubled history of excluding Indigenous and local people – using fines and fences to keep humans away from nature, when, in reality, the two are inextricably intertwined. Find out how inclusion is critical to conservation:

Wild Justice 90 - Lead levels in Waitrose and Harrods game meat

 Pheasant meat sold by Waitrose and Harrods is contaminated with toxic lead despite the retailers having promised to switch to selling “lead free” game, tests have revealed.

Wild Justice, a campaign group co-founded by the broadcaster Chris Packham, bought 14 pheasant breasts last month from Waitrose, below, and 15 whole pheasants from Harrods and sent them for testing. The tests revealed that 13 of the breasts from Waitrose contained levels of lead in excess of the legal limit for chicken, pork and beef. One contained 186 times the limit and the median level was 29 times the limit.

THE INJUSTICE ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 18

 I HAVN’T AGREED WITH EVERY DAY AND SO I HAVE OMITTED SOME DAYS. TODAY MAKES A VALID POINT AS WELL AS ASK THE QUESTION.

Day 18: Stop the carbon cop out

"Creative carbon accounting"   That’s what Greta Thunberg accused the UK Government of recently. It’s the idea that you can make your statistics look good… without addressing the big picture. She has a point. In the UK we’ve outsourced emissions to the countries that produce our food, clothes and gadgets. But our targets only aim to reduce the carbon emissions that we produce in the UK - ignoring the emissions from the huge quantities of goods we import. We need to take responsibility for our true carbon footprint… it’s time we set a target to reduce our offshore emissions too. Will you ask the Government to set a target to reduce these offshore

GRAN ALACANT TO PARQUE NATURAL DE EL HONDO

 Gran Alacant was a mere 12 degrees at 9am and only rising to 18 later on. Our target birds were Common Cranes - Grualla Común and Spotted Eagles - Aguila Moteada. We plotted our course and at around 10.30 we drove past the North Gate of El Hondo, then past the fishing lakes and turned in left by the goal posts. Down the track and on the leafless limbs of a tall tree with a pylon nearby, a  raptor. It was distant and we went as near as we could and through the scope we scrutinized it. It was big, we examined the markings of it and consulted Collins. We believe it is a Spotted Eagle - Águila Moteada and we think a sub-adult. 

During the course of the morning at least twelve Marsh Harriers -  Aguilucho Luganero and our last bird of the day was a low flying male. The sun picked out the details in the plumage and it was beautiful. 

We checked out Santa Aguada again mainly to see if the Spotted Eagle could be using the old perching places, but with no luck. There appears to be a resident Green Sandpiper- Andarrios Grande there with Bluethroat - Pechiazul. 

We left Santa Aguada and on joining the main road we turned left and immediately right. This is a long straight road with good vistas and then a fly past of ten Common Cranes - Grualla Común. We had great views for five minutes as they flew around, disappearing from sight on one occasion and then right over our heads. The photos will prove it. We were not sure where they went and we heard more calls afterwards.

Further down the Vistabella (and before where there is intensive work) there were flooded fields. There was not much there except 4/5 Wood Sandpipers - Andarrios Bastardo. We were hoping for Lapwings - Avefria Europea with a Sociable Plover - Avefria Sociable. Not a bloody lapwing in sight!

I can add two Booted Eagles - Aguililla Calzada, one of each morph and one being a male. It was no where near a large total. I have not mentioned all species but we got our two targets.

Starlings - Estornino are massing in very large numbers and a murmuration should be worth witnessing. 

INJUSTICE ADVENT CALENDAR DAY FOURTEEN - RESET FASHION INDUSTRY

 

Day 14 - Help to reset the fashion industry

Watch our inspiring short film, featuring Mei Ling, a garment worker in Vietnam and join our campaign to new and better world the reality for garment workers across the world.

Covid-19 has exposed the deep inequalities of the fashion industry. We estimate that garment workers are owed $11 billion in unpaid wages from the first year of the pandemic alone, and this figure is set to rise. And during the first year of the pandemic, garment workers were robbed of at least half a billion dollars in legally owed severance. These workers were already just surviving on poverty wages before the pandemic.

It’s time for a reset in the fashion industry.

We think this is a crucial opportunity to campaign for a complete shift in the fashion industry, and to showcase the importance of living wages, transparency and safety at work for garment workers. We want to inspire and motivate activists, new and old, to back a new industry, which tackles global inequality and puts workers first, rather than profit.

If you share our vision of the way things should be, share our video and join our online community today.

Together, we are stronger, and we can be part of the way things should be.

BRYAN´S BIRDS FROM OUR TRIP ON TUESDAY - GRAN ALACANT TO EL HONDO

There has been a conservation programme for White Headed Ducks and they are easy to see and are quite numerous.  The problem was that the Ruddy Duck can breed with them.  Ruddy Ducks if seen are removed.

Common Pochard - what a beautiful red eye.

This Stonechat perched close by.  What a star!

A Bluethroat close by.

Common Crane doing a fly past!

Day 13 - A child is due to be executed, join the fight to stop it

Abdullah al Howaiti was abducted and locked up in a by Saudi Arabian authorities in 2017. He was 14 years old.

Abdullah was tortured for months and forced to ‘confess’. That so-called 'confession' was used to sentence him to death in 2019 even though he was 200km away from the crime when it happened.

Thanks to the Reprieve community, his conviction was finally overturned in November 2021. But under Saudi law, there must now be a retrial. Reprieve lawyers are calling for the public prosecutor to withdraw its request for the death penalty and for Abdullah's torture-tainted 'confession' to be ruled inadmissable as evidence. This won't be easy and that's why we need your help.

Saudi Arabian authorities say that they ended the use of the death penalty for child defendants in April 2020. But this is clearly a lie - Abdullah is a child defendant. 

We cannot let Abdullah face the threat of a death sentence again.

Will you sign Abdullah’s petition and call out Saudi Arabia? It only takes 10 seconds.

LEGAL JUSTICE - NEWS LETTER 89

Wild Justice 89 - Countryfile on lead, burning bogs and general licences

Good morning!  A week ago we told you that we were expecting news about lead levels in game meat, our challenge of the Northern Ireland general licences and our challenge of burning on blanket bogs. There was progress on all of those issues last week and we expect more progress and news this week too.

 

Countryfile on lead in game meat: did you watch Countryfile yesterday evening and its coverage of the lead in game meat issue? It wasn't bad and you can catch up on iPlayer - click here.

 

Countryfile covered many of the issues - lead is a poison, it harms human health, the Food Standards Agency warns against eating lead especially if you are pregnant, trying for a baby or a young child, lead in the environment kills waterfowl who ingest it accidentally, non-toxic ammunition is available and widely used elsewhere in the world, government has failed to set maximum lead levels for game meat although they exist for other meats and foods etc etc.

 

In response, Liam Stokes, ex Countryside Alliance and current CEO of British Game 'Assurance' said that we are 18 months into a five-year voluntary phasing out of lead ammunition and failed to mention a report to government over six years ago that recommended a phasing out of lead ammunition back then. When asked whether it was good enough to take years to phase out a harmful poison Mr Stokes said that lead was 'ballistically perfect' which seems to indicate where the industry's priorities lie and ignores the fact that other countries have done away with lead ammunition already. When the CEO of the Game 'Assurance' scheme was asked why the overriding concern was not the health of consumers, rather than the convenience of shooters, Mr Stokes relied on the fact that an obscure government agency website has food warnings about lead - it's a shocking abrogation of responsibility by the Game 'Assurance' outfit. The industry is in a morally bankrupt position - selling game as healthy when it contains high levels of a poison, as our analysis of game meat last year (click here) and again this year (click here) have shown.

 

It was good to see and hear Professor Mark Taggart from the University of the Highlands and Islands talking about his analyses. It is Prof. Taggart and his team who have analysed the game meat samples that Wild Justice has collected.

 

Countryfile said 'From this year, high street chains like Waitrose have said they are taking lead-shot game off the shelves' although actually Waitrose said that they would be lead-free by last year. Wild Justice testing of game meat showed that they weren't and later this week we should be in a position to tell you whether Waitrose and another high-profile high street store are selling lead-free or lead-contaminated game meat to the public. You'll get those results first through this newsletter.

 

 

Northern Ireland general licences: we shall press the Northern Ireland authorities for more information on the replacement of their three general licences. The three unlawful general licences are still listed on the DAERA website and we are unaware of any public statement by DAERA despite their concession letter to Wild Justice last week.

 

 

 

DEFRA's burning regulations: we have challenged the DEFRA regulations on burning vegetation on blanket bogs in England. We think the regulations are feeble and don't go anywhere near far enough. Also, it is unclear on what basis DEFRA ministers made their decisions to adopt such poor measures.

 

But we haven't got very far with this challenge so far. We have sought permission for judicial review of the regulations and been turned down. We appealed that decision, or sought renewal of that claim, and were turned down again. Is that it?  No, we have decided after discussion with our legal team, to have one more attempt to take this important issue to court and for a judge to review DEFRA's actions.

 

Wild Justice has decided to go to the Court of Appeal over the refusal of Justice Lang to grant our renewal application for judicial review of the DEFRA burning regulations. We did not feel that the judgment we received the week before last was well-reasoned. This isn't because we are bad losers but because we came away feeling that the arguments put forward very clearly and ably by our legal team had not been heard or properly addressed. Under those circumstances it is difficult just to walk away - the protection of blanket bogs and the climate are too important for that. So, the challenge goes on.

 

 

 

By subscribing to this free newsletter you get the Wild Justice news first. We're very happy for you to forward these newsletters to friends who might be interested in hearing our news. Anyone can subscribe, free of charge, to our newsletter through our website (and if you find it isn't to your taste then there is an unsubscribe option at the foot of every newsletter).

 

Thank you!  We'll be back with more news later this week.

 

Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).