Moray man charged over poison

offences relate to discovery of banned substances under the Wildlife and Countryside Act

By Neil MacPhail

Published:

A 45-year-old man from the Forres area has been charged with offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in relation to possession and use of the banned pesticide strychnine.

Grampian Police charged him following an intelligence-led operation in Moray on April 24 in relation to the banned substance.

The force declined to give a more specific location for the poison discovery, or the circumstance surrounding the find.

Constable David MacKinnon, the force’s wildlife crime officer, said: “There are a number of pesticides including strychnine and carbofuran which are listed as banned substances.

“However, we continue to recover these pesticides which can often be used to poison birds and animals. On this occasion we are not aware of protected species being affected. Protected species and pets can come into contact with illegal pesticides often in the form of baits which can result in sudden death.

“I would encourage any person with information on the abuse of pesticides to contact police on 0845 6005700 or Crimestoppers.”

Douglas Petrie, senior agricultural officer for Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate, said: “Authorisation to supply or use strychnine (strychnine hydrochloride) for mole control was withdrawn on September 1, 2006. Strychnine is very toxic and must not be disposed of through normal waste collections.

“Pharmacists were not required to take back unused strychnine and responsibility rested with the individual to organise and pay for safe disposal through a licensed waste collector."

The danger of baiting dead animals with poison was highlighted in March when a pet dog from Moray was lucky to survive after it is believed to have eaten bait laced with a poison at Orbliston, near Fochabers.

Earlier this year, Grampian Police and colleagues from Northern Constabulary and Tayside swooped on an estate in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of the Highlands in a big operation to look for any evidence indicating the illegal poisoning of birds of prey.

The searches, which follow an investigation lasting several years, came after a series of high-profile discoveries of poisoned birds of prey across Scotland, including red kites, buzzards and eagles. Some gamekeepers resort to poison fearing that the raptors will take the eggs or young chicks of valuable game birds.