WHITE-TAILED sea eagles bring an estimated €3 million in additional revenue to the Isle of Mull each year as tourists go there to view the birds in flight. Here in Ireland, efforts to reintroduce these birds to Co Kerry may fail because of indiscriminate poisonings. Golden eagles are under threat for a similar reason in Co Donegal, while red kites and buzzards have recently been poisoned in counties Wicklow, Louth, Meath and Dublin.
At a time when employment in rural tourism is falling, such behaviour by a small number of farmers is intolerable.
Apart altogether from considerations of local employment, killing endangered species of birds impoverishes us all, shows no respect for the environment and should result in EU farm payments being withheld from those responsible. For the past eight years, the Golden Eagle Trust has lobbied the government to ban the use of poison meat baits. Now, Minister for the Environment John Gormley has promised new regulations. But until the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith also bans the use of poisoned baits to kill foxes, nothing will change. A ban on such an indiscriminate control method exists in Britain. Why not here?
Some farmers may argue that poison has traditionally been used to control vermin. So it has. But time moves on. Traditional practices, such as the use of gin-traps to catch both animals and humans, is now illegal. Farmers are required by law to erect signs on their land and inform the Garda if poison is laid. And dead livestock should no longer be left above ground and used as poisoned bait. But rules and regulations are of little use in the absence of education and enforcement. Farming organisations have a responsibility to encourage their members to protect endangered species while the authorities should pursue and prosecute those who flout the law.
Ignorance and poverty contributed to the extermination of the golden eagle, the white-tailed sea eagle, the red kite and other large predators in this country during the last century. Now, because of the generosity of wildlife agencies in Norway and Britain, we have been given an opportunity to, once again, enjoy the spectacle of these beautiful birds in flight. But the loss of seven out of 34 sea eagles to poison in the past two years in Kerry and a similar mortality rate for golden eagles in Donegal has caused the suspension of further chick deliveries. The viability of both projects is under threat. Urgent, official action is required. Poisoned meat baits should be banned and the sale of poisons controlled.