DEFRA's nonsense plan: hand rearing Hen Harriers
On the 16th of January, Natural England issued a licence allowing a two year trial of a new Hen Harrier brood management scheme. The trial aims to increase the number of Hen Harriers across England, by taking eggs and chicks from Hen Harrier nests in northern England and raising them in captivity. This will only be done with the landowners permission. An article in the Guardian on the 18th said "supporters hope it (the plan) will halt the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers by giving landowners comfort that breeding populations of Hen Harriers will not be permitted to expand on their moors."
In effect, this scheme will remove breeding Hen Harriers from grouse moorland, in a desperate attempt to decrease the effect of illegal persecution on the breeding population. Unsurprisingly, organisations such as the Moorland Association, the National Gamekeeper's Organisation and the British Association for Shooting & Conservation support the plan, as it will decrease the number of young Red Grouse killed by Hen Harriers on grouse moorland.
In all fairness, shooting is an important industry. According to The Value of Shooting (2014), shooting is worth £2 billion to the UK economy, and supports the equivalent of 74'000 jobs - however this source may not be wholly reliable as the survey was commissioned by 16 "shooting and countryside organisations." According to the driven grouse shooting Wikipedia page, quoting the same study, 2'500 of these jobs are in the driven grouse shooting industry, and the driven grouse shooting industry invests £100 million in conservation projects each year - however these statistics have the same issue with reliability.
You would think such a large industry would be able to cope with a couple of breeding Hen Harriers then, wouldn't you? However, when a brace of Red Grouse (2 birds) can bring in up to £120 on a shoot, grouse moorland managers believe that Hen Harriers will have a massive effect on their income - even though a day's shooting brings in around £10k, and a Hen Harrier's diet is 95% made up of small mammals, not grouse. But Hen Harriers continue to be shot on grouse moors, and nothing is done about it.
It is clear that this plan of hand rearing Hen Harriers has been crafted to remove harriers from grouse moorland, thus keeping the shooting industry happy with the government. In an article on the government website, it says; "brood management is the sixth action within the Defra Hen Harrier Recovery Plan, ultimately aiming to reduce Hen Harrier predation of grouse chicks on driven grouse moors"
"Supporters hope it will halt the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers" - by beginning the legal persecution of the species?
All in all, I believe that the plan will be effective in lowering rates of persecution, however I don't think that DEFRA are going about it in the right way. I believe that owners of grouse moors should learn to understand, appreciate, care for and love the beautiful raptors. We need to learn to live with and look after our amazing wildlife.
But that won't "reduce Hen Harrier predation of grouse chicks on driven grouse moors", will it?
