The eagle has not landed!

Natural England has revealed a sea eagle introduction project will be delayed for a year "as there is significant further work to be done" – following objections by CLA members.

CLA President Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said: "We welcome Natural England’s sensible decision to delay the sea eagle introduction project for a year to carry out further studies.

"We are extremely concerned about the impact of introducing such a major predator, both upon wildlife and livestock and poultry businesses. Ever since Natural England announced its plan to begin the introduction of the sea eagle this spring, the CLA has been calling for this delay so that a thorough, scientific assessment can be done."

The CLA President added: "The three partners in the project - Natural England, the RSPB and Anglia Water – now have the opportunity to carry out further studies. We very much hope the time will be used for this vital detailed scientific assessment on the impacts of their proposal as it will ultimately affect the whole of East Anglia.

"Among the matters that need to be studied is the effect of disturbance upon outdoor pigs and poultry. We simply do not know how they would react to a huge bird flying above them. This aspect would not appear to have been taken into account originally."

The CLA President said they were concerned about the impact on wildlife generally.

He said: "Our members have gone to enormous lengths to establish wildlife sites on their land and in a number of cases this includes havens for rare birds. A similar project was abandoned in Suffolk because of fears that the sea eagle could harm rare bird breeding programmes.

"We are calling for the project managers to consult as widely as possible with all the affected parties. Just because there is European funding available does not mean the project is right for our region. East Anglia is completely different from the Western Isles of Scotland."