TOUGHER ACTION ON ILLEGAL KILLING OF BIRDS OF PREY

4.22.00pm GMT Tue 2nd Mar 2010

Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland and Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson, has commented on the petition that was handed over to the Scottish Parliament today, which collected over 22,000 signatures from Scottish people demanding tougher action to tackle the illegal killing of birds of prey.

Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, said:

"It is encouraging to see so many people in Scotland calling for action to stop the illegal killing of birds of prey.

"We are fortunate in Scotland to have some of the most diverse and interesting wildlife in the world

"However, the numbers of incidents in which birds of prey are shot, trapped or poisoned is still unacceptably high.

"We need tougher actions by the Scottish Government to tackle the crime and police forces need to be equipped to enforce those measures."