Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent illegal persecution of hen harriers and other birds of prey on land managed for gamebird shooting.

The illegal killing of any wild bird of prey on land managed for gamebird shooting is unacceptable. Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against these birds. Defra supports the work of a national Tactical Delivery Group which brings stakeholders together to tackle such criminality.

Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime and directly assists law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £494,000 for NWCU this year. In 2024, the NWCU launched the Hen Harrier Task Force (HTF) – a partnership designed to help tackle the illegal persecution of hen harriers. Through the HTF, more efficient channels of communication between partners expedites the coordination of effective enforcement responses. The HTF is also using innovative technology such as tracking drones and specialised detection dogs to enhance evidence collection in remote areas.