SCOTLAND’S shooting estates are engaged in endemic, criminal activity to kill birds of prey, the RSPB has claimed.

In a new report – furiously disputed by gamekeepers and estates – the charity explicitly accuse the “grouse moor industry” of acting as if they’re “untouchable” while shooting, trapping, and poisoning raptors.

The illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland 2015-17 report reveals that, since 2010, Scotland’s hen harrier breeding population has fallen nationally by 9%. But on grouse moors numbers have plummeted by an astonishing 57%.

The RSPB says of the 18 hen harriers fitted with satellite tags, and known to have died or whose transmitters failed between 2015-17, that “it is likely that eight were illegally killed on or close to grouse moors”.

According to the charity, between 2015–17, 15 birds of prey were confirmed as the victims of illegal poisoning, as well as four hooded crows and two ravens.

Four bird of prey nests were shot out or burnt and destroyed and three birds of prey were caught in illegally set spring traps, while eight birds of prey, and a short-eared owl were found shot.

Apart from one of the poisoning

incidents, all of those happened on or next to land managed for game bird shooting.

Meanwhile, five satellite-tagged hen harriers and eight satellite-tagged golden eagles “disappeared” over the same period.

Eleven of those disappearances happened on land managed for driven grouse shooting.

The RSPB has hit out at police and the courts for the “very few prosecutions”. Only five individuals have been convicted of offences related to raptor persecution in the last three years.

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations said: “There is clear and repeated evidence that this criminal activity is largely taking place on Scotland’s grouse moors, but the grouse industry has not addressed this long-standing and endemic problem. Instead we are seeing increasing signs of a culture where some grouse moor managers feel, and act, as if they are untouchable.

“We believe that the majority of the Scottish public have had enough; repeated warnings from Government have not been heeded, and the time must be right for tougher action.”

The charity want ministers to introduce “a robust licensing system, conditional on legal and sustainable land management practices”.

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) hit back, accusing the RSPB of “campaigning politically” to ultimately ban grouse shooting.

“Whilst the SGA takes wildlife and raptor crime extremely seriously, we do not endorse the many unofficial RSPB reports on this subject,” a spokesman said.

He added: “It is to be predicted that RSPB would cobble together this unsolicited report at a time when they are campaigning politically to have grouse moors licensed in Scotland.

“This has been a long-held aspiration of theirs, with many of their supporters hoping this will be a first step towards an outright ban.”

David Johnstone, chairman of Scottish Land & Estates, cautioned against licensing, saying “such a scheme could put rural livelihoods at risk without achieving what it is intended to do”.

The Scottish Government has recently commissioned an independent group to examine grouse moor management – including raptor persecution. A spokesman said: “We recognise raptor persecution remains a serious problem in parts of Scotland, and are committed to introducing legislation to increase penalties for wildlife crime.”

A Crown Office spokesman said they had a specialist unit dedicated to the prosecution of wildlife crime.