EU grant cut for landowner whose gamekeeper tried to kill birds of prey

farmer in the Scottish Borders has become the first landowner in the UK to have his agricultural subsidies cut as a punishment after his gamekeeper was convicted of trying to kill protected birds of prey. George Aitken, who works as a gamekeeper near Lauder in Berwickshire, set traps holding live pigeons and placed dead pheasants laced with poisons on moorland close to the southern upland way, a popular walkers' route.

Aitken arrived in court last June wearing a paramilitary-style full-face balaclava to avoid identification, and was sentenced to 220 hours' community service. Now the Scottish executive has cut £8,000 from his employer's European farming grants for failing to protect local wildlife.

The fine, disclosed to the Guardian under freedom of information legislation, is the first time ministers have used wide-ranging powers under European law to dock a farmer's subsidies for environmental crimes, even though the legislation came into force four years ago.

Wildlife groups have welcomed the move, saying landowners and shooting estates need to be directly penalised if their gamekeepers are persecuting birds of prey or other wildlife on their behalf.