Employers will be held responsible for their employees' illegal actions in new proposals outlined by The Scottish Government to help tackle wildlife crime.
Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham announced the Scottish Government's intention to bring forward a Stage 2 amendment to the Wildlife and Natural Environment (WANE) Bill, when giving evidence to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee on 3 November.
She told the Committee that the amendment would create a new 'vicarious liability offence' to target those who control or manage others who are involved in criminal bird persecution.
Those found guilty could face six months in jail and be fined up to £5,000. There will be a defence for those who can show that they took steps to prevent persecution. In effect, this means that the owners and managers of shooting estates will have to take more responsibility for the predator control methods used by their gamekeepers.
Statistics published by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) show that in the first half of 2010 there were 13 poison abuse incidents with 16 birds of prey (three buzzards, five red kites, four golden eagles, two peregrine falcons, one sparrowhawk and one sea eagle) poisoned and a 30 per cent increase in all types of submissions to the SASA lab for testing.
While bird poisonings are a serious threat to animal welfare, OneKind will press for the new vicarious liability to cover all offences committed against Scotland’s wild animals.
OneKind is taking a leading role in campaigning for the WANE Bill - currently being considered by the Parliament's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee – to introduce a ban on snares in Scotland.
Making employers accountable for the way these indiscriminate traps are used would at least be a step forward.