​RSPB Scotland and OneKind call for full implementation of wildlife crime review fiundings

Charities are demanding the Scottish Government take urgent action to tighten up punishments for wildlife crime.

A high level report has made 10 recommendations for dealing with the problem – and MSPs have been urged to translate the findings into law as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government commissioned review of wildlife crime reported back this week.

Among the remedies recommended were the greater use of forfeiture, systematic use of impact statements in court, new sentencing guidelines and consolidation of wildlife legislation.

The report recommends increasing penalties on summary conviction to £40,000 and up to 12 months in prison, or five years in prison on indictment.

It concludes that penalties for wildlife crimes have fallen behind those for other types of environmental crime, and that fine levels for many of these crimes have not kept pace with inflation.

For too long, wild animals have been categorised in terms of pest species or populations to be managed

For example, one of the most common fines for wildlife crime was set at £5,000 30 years ago and it has remained at this level.

Accounting for inflation alone it should have increased to over £17,000. In comparison, the maximum penalties for many pollution offences have increased 20 fold.

RSPB Scotland welcomed the review, but urged action.

The charity’s head of investigations, Ian Thomson, said: “Scotland has some of the best wildlife protection laws in Europe, but in recent years, the penalties imposed by the courts, when prosecutions have been successful, have been inconsistent for similar offences.

They have also largely failed to reflect the actual or potential conservation impact of the offences, and whether the offending was carried out in the course of employment, often with the aim of financial gain.

“We wholeheartedly support the recommendations made in this review and hope these are implemented in full.”

The report also recommends that people convicted of wildlife offences should be referred to educational programmes. This was a suggestion made by Scottish group OneKind.

Policy Advisor Libby Anderson said: "We are very pleased to see these recommendations, and hope that the government will implement them quickly. They would do much to deter wildlife crime and animal cruelty and are long overdue.

“As well as increasing the level of fines, the group has recommended that support for education and training in empathy for those convicted of crimes to animals. For too long, wild animals have been categorised in terms of pest species or populations to be managed, without acknowledging that they are sentient individuals with capacity to suffer.

"While stronger penalties will undoubtedly have a deterrent effect, OneKind is convinced that teaching people the inherent value of wild animals, and the impact of human actions on their welfare, is also needed if we are to end wildlife crime."

Scotland’s environment minister Aileen McLeod, who is also chair of the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime, said: “Wildlife crime poses a real risk to our natural heritage and has a detrimental effect on the people of Scotland who want to enjoy seeing Scotland’s wildlife on their doorstep, but also more widely to Scotland as a whole.

"It is vital that the available penalties are an adequate deterrent and properly reflect the impact these crimes can have on Scotland’s environment and wildlife tourism industry.

“The Scottish Government has already taken action to put an end to the illegal poisoning and killing of birds of prey, and I will continue to take whatever steps are necessary to see an end to these unacceptable activities, targeting our wildlife, which continue to take place.

"I will carefully consider all the recommendations and will make a further announcement on how we intend to take this work forward.”