Dead livestock now have to be removed from the farm to be incinerated or buried at approved sites. This not only puts an added financial burden on an already straining farming community but, if implemented, also deprives carrion eating scavengers including kites, buzzards and ravens of a large component of their diet.
The Trust sympathises with livestock farmers placed in this ridiculous situation but does not advocate that anyone breaks these regulations for the benefit of feeding kites as there may be legal consequences.
A special derogation has been granted for the feeding of birds of prey, which will allow organised kite feeding stations to continue operating under licence but only if the meat has been processed at an approved abattoir first.
We will be monitoring kite survival rates and breeding success closely over the coming seasons to see if these regulations have any impact on birds for which the government have a statutory duty to protect.
