Pheasant Shooting Wildlife Minister Not Doing Enough to Prevent Birds of Prey Carnage Say Critics

New report says current wildlife laws are fractured and calls for ban on poison used to kill birds (pic Kevin Law)

An environment minister has been criticised for refusing to make illegal a substance used to kill birds.

Richard Benyon, the wildlife minister, has said he will not make carbofuran illegal, despite it having no legal use. Instead, the MP favours a voluntary approach to using it.

The suggestion that carbofuran should be made illegal was made in a new report about wildlife crime by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).

Mr Benyon, a millionaire landowner who owns a pheasant shoot in Berkshire and a Scottish grouse moor, is strongly associated with shooting interests.

A law banning the possession of poison to kill birds was brought in in 2006. However, a list of which poisons would be illegal was not introduced.

In the report, the authors highlight the fact that it would be very easy to add carbofuran to this law.  

Continued:  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/395765/20121018/richard-benyon-poison-carbofuran-rspb-environmental-audit.htm