§ Ms WardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to address the concerns of game managers and pigeon fanciers with respect to predation of game birds and racing pigeons by birds of prey; and if he will make a statement. [108604]
§ Mr. MullinThe issues arising from the recovery of some bird of prey populations and their impact on game bird and moorland management and on racing pigeons have been addressed by the UK Raptor Working Group.
This group, jointly chaired by my Department and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and comprising experts from the fields of bird conservation, game management and pigeon racing, has funded significant research and considered information from a wide range of sources including leading authorities and relevant specialists. The group has now agreed a package of recommendations and submitted its final report to UK Ministers. Copies are available in the House Libraries.
I welcome the publication of these recommendations and hope they will help provide an integrated solution to the problems presented by birds of prey to game bird managers and pigeon fanciers. Implementation of these recommendations will of course be a matter for the devolved administrations and I will be asking English Nature for advice with respect to implementation in England.