Where eagles dare: Can the Killarney project survive?

IT was farmers who first got into a flap about the idea of reintroducing white-tailed eagles to Kerry and the south-west. In advance of the arrival of the first lot of birds in the summer of 2007, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) organised well-attended meetings to voice objections.

Farmers issued dire warnings that these magnificent birds descending from the skies would devour lambs while some of the more militant landowners were threatening to shoot or poison them. And there were some outrageous political mutterings about eagles snatching babies from prams… as if ferocious winged creatures from the dinosaur era were about to return.

Eagles became extinct in Kerry about 100 years ago because of persecution. Is history going to repeat itself? The main reason for current farmer opposition to the eagles, however, is a fear that extra EU legislation might be imposed on them for the benefit of the eagles. Such legislation could lead to restrictions in farming activities, more land dedicated to conservation and would, they say, make an already over-regulated situation worse.

Now, almost four years on, with some of the white-tailed eagles killed and many others apparently well settled in their Irish environment, farmers are concerned their EU payments could be cut because of the spate of poisonings.

Kerry’s multi-million euro tourism industry, always alive to an opportunity, offered céad mile fáilte to the eagles. They saw the great birds as another visitor attraction, as is the case in parts of Scotland.

There remains a conflict between agriculture and tourism.

Farmers say they are getting nothing out of tourism while they are, at the same time, expected to maintain the landscape in a tourist-friendly manner.

The first eagle died soon after arriving in Killarney. Its carcass was found close to the release point in Killarney National Park, in October 2007. Death is believed to have been from natural causes, though that has never been proven conclusively.

But the alarm bells did not begin to ring until two dead eagles were found, a half kilometre apart in the Glencar area, in February 2008. They had been poisoned.

Things were to get more serious, however, and when three eagles were found poisoned in the same area, near Beaufort, Co Kerry, in a four-week period this year, a huge question mark appeared over the entire project.

The IFA has strongly denied the eagles were deliberately poisoned.

But Gardaí in Killarney are continuing their investigations and have visited a number of farms in areas where eagles have been killed.

Officers investigating the suspected poisonings remain tight-lipped about the inquiry – but have confirmed they are making good progress and prosecutions may result.

Many farmers have traditionally laid poisoned meat bait for foxes but eagles – being meat and fish eaters – are also drawn to the bait, with fatal consequences.

Of the 55 eagles released so far, in Killarney, 14 have died, including seven from poisoning. Even in a rural county like Kerry, the bitter eagle row has shown up a clear urban /rural divide.

For example, many people fail to understand the difficulties some sheep farmers experience with foxes preying on their lambs. Every lamb lost to a fox is €50-€100 out of a farmer’s pocket.

Kerry-based Teagasc adviser to sheep farmers, Michael Gottstein, has suggested, as an alternative to putting out poison, farmers should use electric fencing to cordon off their sheep and keep foxes at bay during the critical lambing season. It’s a system which works in other countries.

Changes in legislation by the Department of the Environment, in 2008, ban the use of meat baits in the control of birds. But the Department of Agriculture’s Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1965 still allows, in limited circumstances, the use of poison on meat baits for foxes.

According to the Golden Eagle Trust, which is also responsible for the Killarney project, that legislation has been found to be in breach of the EU Birds Directive, which specifically protects eagles and kites. The trust has lodged an official complaint with the EU Commission against the Government.

Also of concern is the lack of enforcement of the current limited legislation controlling the use of poisons. Also, it is illegal to knowingly leave dead livestock above ground, under separate animal by-products regulations.

Farmers in the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) and those in the single payment scheme must respect EU laws that protect wild birds and can have their payments reduced if they are found to have killed any such birds.

Ireland is believed to have the lowest range of breeding birds of prey of all EU countries. During the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Ireland lost at least six breeding raptors – white-tailed eagle, osprey, golden eagle, red kite, marsh harrier and goshawk – arising from persecution and also from habitat loss.

Running in tandem with the Kerry project are golden eagle and red kite reintroduction programmes in national parks in Donegal and Wicklow, respectively.

Lorcan O’Toole, manager of the Donegal project, has reported a “good rapport” with local hill sheep farmers, noting survival rates in Donegal are higher than expected.

Last November, two eagle chicks, which had been hatched in April, flew the nest in Donegal. Red kite chicks have been recently discovered in a nest in Wicklow, the first known to have hatched in Ireland in over 200 years.

Wild birds of prey are increasingly being used to highlight Ireland’s landscapes in tourism promotional packages. Eagles on Scotland’s Isle of Mull are worth around €3 million to the local economy and there’s similar potential for the three Irish counties involved.

Eagles for the Killarney project are donated by the Norwegian wildlife authorities. Legislation banning the use of poisons has been in place for decades in Norway, where eagles and farmers live harmoniously in the same environment. Despite the poisonings, the Norwegians are still supporting the project, but serious doubts have been raised about its future by project manager Dr Allan Mee.

Dr Mee said: “The sad thing is that none of this (poisoning) needs to happen. Landowners and eagles should be able to coexist in Kerry just as they do in Norway where white-tailed eagles nest next to farms.”

A further 20 eagles are due to be released in Killarney, later this summer, and the plan is to introduce a total of 100 over a five-year period.