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New petition seeks to change law on liability for landowners

The owner of a raptor rescue centre in Oxfordshire has started an e-petition calling for landowners to be held responsible for birds poisoned on their land.

Chrissie Harper, whose rescue centre Chrissie's Owls is in Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, wants the same law in England that has just been passed in Scotland. She said: "The new law in Scotland won't come into effect for two years, but we're starting the campaign now in England to get the same law. I've got support from various raptor groups and we've picked up more than 1,000 signatures in the first four days of the petition.

"We've got a year to get 100,000, in order for it to be discussed in Parliament. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but I feel it's necessary."

Scottish solicitor Robert Scott-Dempster, of Gillespie Macandrew solicitors, confirmed the basis of what is known as vicarious liability. He said: "The introduction of vicarious liability [in Scotland] means landowners may now be found liable for criminal offences perpetrated by their employees or agents."

Mrs Harper, who mounted a successful campaign two years ago to protect feral eagle owls in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, said she knows that not all landowners and gamekeepers try to poison raptors, but there are a minority who do. She said: "Birds of prey are misunderstood. Some large owners who make money from shooting don't want birds of prey around at all. But it's not all of them. Two estates near me have no problem with raptors. But I think it's wicked that some gamekeepers shoot tawny owls. Some of us have to fight for these birds. I urge bird enthusiasts to sign the petition."

● To sign the petition, go to: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23089