TAKING ISSUE WITH KILLING BUZZARDS

Shame on Natural England for giving permission [to the owner of a Northumberland pheasant shoot] to shoot buzzards (Sara Maitland, November). It would be better to ban shooting on some estates, especially given the current illegal persecution of our birds of prey – take, for example, the impact of grouse moorland on hen harriers. A ban on offending grouse shoots would make these people think twice in future.

I, for one, like to see buzzards in the countryside. The intensification of farmland has led to a huge decline of wild birds. Slurry from dairy farms is killing our rivers in West Wales. Shooting a few buzzards is the thin end of the wedge. Pheasants are a non-native species and shooting of any birds of prey as well has other predators such as foxes should be opposed. Our countryside is under increasing pressure from all sides.

Keith Jones, West Wales

A point missed by Sara Maitland in her column was the fact that rabbits cause £200 million of damage to agriculture, horticulture and private gardens annually. Then ask the question – what is the main food of the buzzard? Rabbits. So why kill a predator that is doing so much good in the wider countryside? Answer – because the figures for income generated from shooting do not take into account any of the negative impact caused by shooting, such as an increased rabbit population, an increase in flooding caused by mass draining of grouse moors; a rise in road building without planning; the release of carbon as a result of the annual moors burning.

If we don’t protect our birds of prey, people will feel free to kill protected species such as golden eagles, hen harriers and buzzards. Just watch – the licensing department of Natural England will be swamped with applications to kill raptors in 2017.

John Miles, via email