General licence restrictions in the Borders

NatureScot has restricted the use of general licences at Raeshaw Estate and Watherston Wood in the Scottish Borders.

The decision was made based on evidence provided by Police Scotland of wildlife crime against birds. This evidence included the sudden disappearance of a satellite-tagged golden eagle named Merrick in October 2023 as well as golden eagle blood, feathers and shotgun cartridge wadding recovered from the same location.

Chris Dailly, NatureScot’s Head of Licensing, said:

“We have decided, in discussion with Police Scotland, to suspend the use of general licences on this land for three years until January 2029. The police have recorded Merrick’s disappearance as a crime and have provided robust evidence to NatureScot to support this.”

“We are committed to using all the tools we have available to tackle wildlife crime. This measure will help to protect wild birds in the area, while still allowing necessary land management activities to take place.”

“We believe this is a proportionate response to protect wild birds and prevent further wildlife crime. We will continue to work closely with Police Scotland and consider information they provide on cases which may warrant restricting general licences.”

Individual licences may still be applied for, but these will be subject to strict record-keeping and reporting requirements and will be closely monitored to ensure licence conditions are met.

General licences allow landowners or land managers to carry out control of common species of wild birds, such as crows and magpies, to protect crops or livestock, without the need to apply for an individual licence.

In addition to this restriction, there are currently two other restrictions in place in Scotland: on Millden Estate in Angus and Lochindorb Estate in Highland.

Image Credit – Golden eagle ©Lorne Gill/NatureScot