Crofters group calls for more control over sea eagles after lamb losses
Crofters are asking government to take action to “control predation” by sea eagles after claims that attacks on lambs have reached unprecedented levels.
The Scottish Crofting Federation says that weather and predation are the two biggest threats to newborn lambs, with white-tailed eagles being a growing problem. They say that reports suggests the reintroduced birds are ranging further and have been spotted in new parts of Scotland, as well as in larger numbers.
The Scottish Government has increased the level of support available through the Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS) this year.
SCF chief executive Donna Smith said: “The increase in available support may be viewed as a concession that sea eagles are indeed killing more lambs recently. We would encourage everyone who has witnessed losses through predation to apply to the scheme to give further evidence to government about the real numbers affected.”
Chairman Johnathan Hedges added: “In some areas, predator numbers have reached a point where crofters’ losses of healthy lambs through sea eagles by far exceed the losses through stillbirths and other natural causes of death. The situation has reached a point where things are clearly out of proportion.”
The SCF says it is now asking government to look into additional measures to control predation in areas where population increases have become unsustainable.
