Farmers to be consulted on Sea Eagles plan

Natural England has now agreed to consult farmers about its controversial plans to introduce Sea Eagles into Suffolk.

Natural England had switched its attention to Suffolk after farmers in Norfolk, including free range egg producers, successfully resisted the proposals there. Farmers in Suffolk have now mounted their own highly visible campaign of resistance to the plan, with roadside protest signs making their objections to the introduction of the birds of prey clear. And Brian Finnerty, the NFU’s regional spokesman for East Anglia, says that Natural England has now agreed to consult farmers before going ahead with the proposal.

Natural England had said previously that it was consulting people, but Brian says they were not talking to farmers. "They were talking to lots of people but they were not actually talking to farmers. That was our big concern. That is why we pressed for a meeting with them. It seemed that a decision was about to be taken or already had been taken, but nobody was actually talking to those who were going to be most affected by it," said Brian, who recently met with representatives of Natural England and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

It was at that meeting that he received an assurance that farmers would be asked their views on the proposals. "It set some boundaries down and set the commitment down that they would be talking to farmers and landowners about it. They also said they would be looking to develop some sort of livestock package that would help farmers if this bird was introduced to our part of the world." That would involve some sort of compensation scheme, he said.

The consultation is expected to take place over the next couple of months, and Natural England has said that no birds would be released this year if the plan went ahead. As well as opposition from farmers, another consideration that could halt the project is an economic one. It is thought that the scheme could cost about one million pounds. The UK’s record deficit will inevitably lead to cuts in Government spending, so it is by no means certain that funding would be available.

Suffolk was Natural England’s original preferred choice for the release, but the organisation subsequently turned its attention to Norfolk because of fears about the effects of sea eagles on Bittern colonies in Suffolk. It met strong resistance from Norfolk farmers, including Stuart Agnew, who has 22,000 free range layers on his farm near Fakenham, and it eventually switched its focus back to Suffolk.

In its announcement it said, "A three-year study of eastern England between the Humber and the Thames has identified the Suffolk coast as offering the best opportunities for enabling the white tailed eagle to re-establish itself in England."

It said its location at the centre of a string of wetland habitats stretching from the Wash to the Thames Estuary could provide a suitable home for white-tailed eagles. Elsewhere in Europe white-tailed eagles thrived in similar lowland wetland habitats. Natural England’s chief scientist, Tom Tew, said, "Our analysis of the Suffolk coast has produced encouraging results in terms of identifying potential sites that could form the base for a future re-introduction. The task now is to ensure an open and informed debate about whether, and how, to move forward."

Farmers have demonstrated their opposition with signs bearing the slogan ’Say No to the Sea Eagles.’ They have appeared next to many roads in north Suffolk. One farmer, Andrew Blois, who owns hundreds of acres of grazing marsh and farmland in Walberswick and Blythburgh, near Southwold, said that introducing a large predatory bird could cause problems for his free-range pork business.

For free range egg producers, the proposals could be particularly damaging. Free range hens are inevitably susceptible to threats from the air, and large birds of prey like sea eagles pose a very serious threat. At the time of the announcement we spoke to Bob Kingery, who farms at Wrentham, Beccles in Suffolk - just three miles away from where Natural England is proposing to release the sea eagles. He was very unhappy about the proposals. Bob has 10,500 free range layers. He has obtained permission to increase numbers up to 14,500 and he is worried about the introduction of large birds of prey. "They tried to get us to go along with it before," said Bob, who said farmers were approached by Natural England when the agency originally targeted Suffolk for the sea eagle release. "We said no. We said we didn’t want them. When you think about it, these birds will just destroy the chickens.

The proposal from Natural England could see 15 sea eagles introduced to the Suffolk coast each year over a five year period, and the NFU has prepared a briefing document outlining its position on the planned release.

It says that evidence from Scotland shows that where the species has been introduced, predation on lambs can sometimes become a problem. The NFU says that 40 per cent of all UK chickens kept for egg production are now kept outdoors on free range farms, and a growing proportion of table birds are also reared outdoors. Forty per cent of the UK’s pig herd is also kept outside. All these types of units are found across East Anglia, it says.

The briefing reads, "Natural England research states that the species is a generalist predator and scavenger, although its diet consists predominantly of fish and waterbirds. Their report also confirms that large terrestrial birds and medium-sized mammals are common prey and that the diet varies most according to the availability of foods locally. The birds have also been described as lazy and opportunistic.

"It is these last points which farmers are most concerned about and feel that in such circumstances the ’precautionary principle’ should apply, as it would in large-scale planning applications in environmentally vulnerable areas. The worry is that, faced with large populations of outdoor livestock within close proximity to release sites, sea eagles may well see chickens and young pigs as easy prey. Unlike other predators, which can be legally controlled when they impact on farm businesses, farmers will have no recourse to such losses and will have to accept them. In addition, producers of free range livestock will find it difficult to fence out these predators, due to the exorbitant costs and practical difficulties that such management measures would entail," says the NFU.

The NFU says that Natural England’s own feasibility study on the potential impact of the releases states that the project could lead to an increase in mortality rates in outdoor poultry, new-born lambs and pre-weaned piglets through predation. It also highlights other impacts like the effect of over-flying birds on hens.

The Country Land & Business Association has written to Natural England to express its concern about the proposals.

CLA president Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said, "Our members are worried about the effect the proposed reintroduction will have on their livestock. There have been many reported cases of sea eagles taking young lambs in Scotland where they have been introduced. Our letter to Natural England asks them to explain how they would manage the situation and compensate livestock owners."

He said, "The impact of any reintroduction will inevitably be most keenly felt by those who own and manage the land, and it is their views and the implications for their businesses, which need to be given the greatest weight.

"The CLA is also aware of concerns that there is a realistic possibility that the population, once established, will spread along both the coastline and the main watercourses, and has asked what is being to done to assess the extent of the area likely to be affected?

"There is significant concern about this project, such that Natural England risks alienating the very people the organisation needs to implement its policies and ensure it reaches its targets, the farmers and landowners."