The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation has made the following statement in response to today’s (1 November 2017) publication by the RSPB of Birdcrime 2016 – A focus on raptor persecution in the UK.

A spokesman for the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation said: "The NGO is an active member of the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime, and it is well known that the NGO stands for gamekeeping within the law. It is also well known that the NGO believes in cultivating dialogue among stakeholders involved in rural issues. We sincerely wish therefore that the RSPB would take a leaf out of our book in working to promote consensus and, rather than seeking to demonise the many in game management that uphold the law, the RSPB should join with us in working to alienate the very few that operate outside it.

"To this end, it is disappointing that the RSPB persists in publishing its own uncorroborated figures on raptor persecution when they are signed up, alongside ourselves, to a formal protocol for publishing verified police data. The RSPB should be working with the rest of us to drive down all wildlife crime, not promoting their own agenda.”

Notes to Editors
The National Gamekeepers' Organisation represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. It defends and promotes gamekeeping, gamekeepers and ensures high standards throughout the profession. It was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that their profession was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. The NGO has around 13,000 members.

ENDS

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