Lift-off delayed for sea eagle plan
Plans to release a controversial bird of prey in East Anglia will not reach fruition this year.
Natural England was expected to apply to for licences to import a number of sea eagles this spring. Instead, the government agency will launch a public consultation before deciding whether to release the birds on the Suffolk coast.
Farmers in the area fear the birds would target poultry and youngstock. The Country Land and Business Association, which has campaigned against the sea eagle project, said it welcomed the decision.
Nicola Currie, CLA eastern region director, said the consultation would allow time for further research. “This is exactly what we have been asking for since the autumn when the project was announced.”
She added: “There is great need for a comprehensive study of the effects these very large predators might have upon a livestock industry of outdoor pigs and poultry such as we have in the proposed area of introduction.”
The NFU also welcomed the announcement. NFU East Anglia countryside adviser Alex Dinsdale said: “The project seemed to be rushing forward without proper consultation with those most likely to be affected.”
Farmers had expressed increasing concern about the costs involved with this project and the potential impact the sea eagle could have on local wildlife and livestock farm businesses.
“We’re pleased that the brakes have now been applied and we look forward to meeting Natural England at the earliest opportunity to take this forward,” said Mr Dinsdale.
Natural England said no decision had been made on whether the reintroduction should proceed.
Project partners – Natural England and the RSPB – were continuing to gather evidence so they could assess any likely impact, it said in a statement.
The agency would look to begin its formal consultation in the second half of 2010. Facts and evidence would help inform the development of a management package that was a formal requirement of a licence application.
“There is no set timetable for the work,” said the statement. “We are rightly ensuring that the work needed to inform a licence decision is done thoroughly and that we have listened to and considered all concerns.”