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The Scottish Government’s nature agency has been accused of prioritizing welfare seagull On people, the number of applications blocked to remove “nuisance” birds has increased after the statistics.
Data shows NatureScot recently approved more than 80 per cent of applications to remove gulls and nests by 2022.
However, many times reports By last year that figure had fallen to less than a third, leading to calls to strip the agency of its ability to rule on applications.
A summit was recently organized to discuss ways to Deal with the threat posed by urban seagulls It was branded a “sham”, with the MSP explaining that people present at the event were urged to “walk around waving their arms” and look at takeaway boxes to prevent birds from diving into them.
Agriculture Minister Jim Forley called the special event in Inverness in September and said it was organized in response to “growing public concern about the impact of gull populations” on towns and cities.
douglas rossThe former Scottish Tory leader described the “huge disparity” between the number of applications and the number of people removed as shocking, adding that some locals were afraid to leave their homes because of the gull attacks and could not sleep because of the noise.
Calling for NatureScot’s responsibilities to be abolished, he said: “It is ridiculous to have an agency that is responsible for protecting bird populations as well as granting licenses to control them.”
A Freedom of Information request revealed that in 2022, 83 per cent of 2,385 applications to remove gulls or their nests were approved. But in 2024, only 31 percent of the 1,619 applications were approved.
Mr Ross previously said he had been contacted by “councillors, community councillors, residents’ associations and others who were extremely disappointed and quite angry at being left out of the government-organised summit”. But the MSP added: “The feedback I got from people who attended was that it was a disappointing waste of time.”
conservative It was claimed that “practical solutions” offered at the summit included telling people to “walk around waving your arms” as this would deter sea creatures from lunging towards you. He also said that it was suggested that for takeaway boxes, “the solution was to paint over the eyes because the Gauls are afraid of staring”.
“If it weren’t so serious it would be funny,” he said.
His comments came as he attacked “the anarchic and ridiculous approach of this government and its quango NatureScot” to the issue.
On complaints including the birds’ persistent noise and their “aggressive behaviour”, Mr Fairley responded: “These concerns are genuine and I want to reassure the chamber that they are being taken seriously and that this Government will take targeted action where necessary.”
He stressed the need to tackle the “root causes” of the problem, such as the availability of food and nesting sites for birds in urban areas. But he said such action would require a coordinated effort from the government, councils, health boards, housing associations and individual families.
A NatureScot spokesperson said: “We understand that seagulls can sometimes cause problems in our towns and cities. At the same time, seagull populations are facing serious declines. NatureScot has a duty to balance health and safety concerns with seagull conservation.
“Over the past five years, we have supported many individuals, businesses and communities to better manage gulls without the need to kill the birds or destroy their nests.
“As a result, the number of license applications to destroy nests and eggs and kill chicks has dropped from 2,633 in 2023 to 1,601 in 2024.
“There will be times when gulls are causing a health and safety issue and in these circumstances, we have and will continue to issue licenses. But as the recent Scottish Government Gull Summit highlighted, in the long term, we need to find ways to live with gulls and other wildlife.
“Measures to tackle the root causes and manage gull problems in our urban environments will be vital ahead of next year’s breeding season. Over the coming months, we will work closely with local authorities and others in the most affected areas to help them create collaborative and effective plans to manage gulls, supported by the £100,000 of funding announced.”