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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle the persecution of birds of prey.

Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife. Where any wild bird of prey is killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime.

Defra supports the work of the national Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, which brings together police, the Government and stakeholders from conservation and country sports organisations to tackle bird of prey persecution.

Furthermore, Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime (including bird of prey crime) by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £424,000 funding for NWCU in 2024-2025.

Anyone who commits an offence against a bird of prey under existing legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 could face up to a six-month custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine.