§ Lord Gainfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current position on the Department of the Environment's review of the wildlife sales controls and in particular on the Department's proposals to amend the bird registration system.
§ The Earl of ArranMy honourable friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside announced on 21st February 1994 that following the Department of the Environment's review, we proposed to make changes to the bird registration system to reduce unnecessary regulation and to ensure that the controls are targeted and implemented more effectively. We consulted around 7,000 organisations and individuals about our proposal and a copy of our consultation letter was placed in the Library. One hundred and ninety-two responses were received.
We remain convinced that the bird registration system is in need of change. It was introduced for conservation reasons and mainly in response to concerns about the major decline in populations of birds of prey in the wild. Since the introduction of the registration system in 1982, populations of some species have recovered, particularly Sparrowhawks, Kestrels and Common Buzzards.
26WASome concern was expressed by consultees that the removal of ringing and registration requirements could lead to an increase in the taking of birds of prey from the wild. However, we believe that the strict controls which will continue to protect birds of prey in the wild should avoid any threat to the conservation of the three UK breeding species to be removed from registration requirements: the Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Common Buzzard. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 generally prohibits the injuring, killing or taking of birds from the wild. It also generally makes it an offence to possess any bird or egg, whether alive or dead, or any part or derivative of such a specimen.
The Act will continue to be strictly enforced. Moreover the resources which will be released by deregulation will enable the department's wildlife inspectorate to give greater assistance to the police and other enforcement agencies in protecting all wild birds, particularly those more endangered species such as the Hobby, Red Kit and Golden Eagle. Reorganising work in this way will also provide resources to expand the use of DNA testing techniques to verify captive breeding claims.
Concern was also expressed by the RSPCA and others that the freedom of movement of specimens within the European Union would create opportunities for illegal trade in non-native birds, including globally threatened species. We have therefore decided that ringing and registration controls should continue to apply within Great Britain to birds of prey which are threatened with extinction on a global basis, in order to assist international conservation efforts. In particular this means that the following species originally proposed for deregistration will be retained on Schedule 4 of the Act.
27WA
Black Honey-Buzzard Henicopernis infuscatus Madagascar Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides Pallas's Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus Steller's Sea Eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus Mountain Serpent-Eagle Spilornis kinabaluensis Adaman Serpent-Eagle Spilornis elgini Madagascar Serpent-Eagle Eutriorchis astur Small Sparrowhawk Accipiter nanus New Britain Sparrowhawk Accipiter brachyurus Imitator Sparrowhawk Accipiter imitator Gundlach's Sparrowhawk Accipiter gundlachi White-necked Hawk Leucopternis lacernulata Grey-backed Hawk Leucopternis occidentalis Ridgway's Hawk Buteo ridgwayi Galapagos Hawk Buteo galapagoensis Hawaiian Hawk Buteo solitarius New Guinea Eagle Harpyopsis novaeguinae Great Philippine Eagle Pthecophaga jefferyi Adalbert's Eagle Aqila adalberti Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca Wallace's Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus nanus Plumbeous Forest-Falcon Micrastur plumbeus Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni Mauritius Kestrel Falco punctatus Our proposal to invite the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to advise on criteria for the listing of species on Schedule 4, and our proposal that the list of species should be subject to regular review, will enable us to respond to changes in population levels of particular species and introduce or reinstate registration requirements in the future. If necessary, this can be done swiftly to meet any conservation need.
My honourable friend has today made an order under Section 22 of the Act. This will remove the following species from Schedule 4 of the Act: Sparrowhawk; Kestrel; Common Buzzard; non-native and irregular visitor species of birds of prey (except the Barbary Falcon and the globally threatened species listed above); and certain other birds which are not commonly kept in captivity.