Enough to kill every bird of prey in Britain

THE sporting manager for Skibo estate, Dean Barr, today pled guilty to the possession of the banned pesticide carbofuran, at Inverness Sheriff Court and was fined £3,300.
Northern Constabulary Wildlife Crime co-ordinator, Chief Inspector Matthew Reiss, said: “The Force notes the sentence handed out today for the possession of the largest-ever recovered amount of the pesticide Carbofuran. Experts say that the amount of poison our officers uncovered would have been enough to kill every bird of prey in the UK.”
The poison was discovered within premises operated and solely accessed by Mr Barr on the estate. It was found in the course of an investigation launched after the discovery of dead birds of prey, believed to have been illegally killed on the estate, including three golden eagles and a sparrow hawk and a grouse laced with carbofuran which was pinned to the ground by a metal spike.
Chief Inspector Reiss commented: “Undoubtedly this was a prepared piece of bait. None has been convicted of these offences.”
He went on: “This was an extensive and detailed inquiry and highlights Northern Constabulary’s commitment to tackling crime against wildlife which the Force treats extremely seriously. Our investigation into the deaths of these birds remains open. There is no excuse for the illegal killing of some of our most iconic species. We will continue to deal robustly with anyone who is found to have been involved in the illegal persecution of any protected species.
Police would encourage anyone who has information about wildflife crime to report it to the police or call Crimstoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.