Poisonings a blow to birds of prey

WITH poisoning of foxes and crows now illegal, farmers are being urged to find other ways of controlling pests, especially those that prey on young lambs.

Protected birds of prey have become the inadvertent victims of poisoning and, since 2007, 20 such birds have been confirmed to have been poisoned illegally, 12 in 2010 alone. The deaths have led to a negative image for Irish farming and tourism and have seriously undermined novel conservation projects around the country.

Poisoning is the biggest problem affecting the projects, which include the reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle to Kerry, the golden eagle to Donegal and red kites to Wicklow. In all three counties, farm organisations have agreed to join in efforts with conservation and tourism industries to promote the control of foxes and crows without reverting to poisoning.