The following letter from Jean and Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, has been sent to the Independent in response to an article on the use of the deadly poison carbofuran on UK gaming estates:

Dear Sir,

“Fury at Minister’s ‘astounding refusal to ban deadly bird poison”, 18th October 2012

By refusing to place an outright ban on the use of the deadly poison carbofuran, the Wildlife Minister Richard Benyon is not only cosily sidling up to his friends on Britain’s shooting estates, but he is also attempting to sidestep an important piece of EU legislation put in place to protect our majestic and beautiful birds of prey.

Under the EU Birds Directive, the UK Government is legally obliged to take the necessary steps to protect all bird species living naturally in the wild.  This vital piece of legislation also makes it a crime to deliberately kill or capture the bird species covered by the Directive, which in the UK’s case, includes the Golden Eagle, the White-tailed Eagle and the Buzzard.  Since 2002, over 200 birds of these species have been callously poisoned by carbonfuran, with scant regard paid to protective measures laid out in the Directive.

By burying his head in the sand over the rampant use of carbonfuran on game estates across the UK, the Minister is at best guilty of pandering to the interests of the shooting lobby and at worst of turning a blind eye to widespread and devastating instances of wildlife crime.

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London
Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East