Mystery surrounds a consignment of Black-headed gull eggs that were advertised for sale at a well-known food store this week, raising serious questions over where the eggs are being sourced.
The store stated that the eggs came from Lymington Marshes in Hampshire - but legal egg harvesting in Hampshire has been suspended since last year when Natural England withdrew all licences in the area, following concerns over sustainability of the practice and possible damage that it might cause to SPA (Special Protection Area) integrity and an SSSI site. Indeed hopes were growing that the few remaining licences, issued to just two individuals in North Yorkshire, would also be suspended this year following pressure from our campaign, which is supported by 400,000 people. Who is eating eggs of threatened birds....? For the past few years, as part of our campaign to overhaul Natural England's bird control licensing system, we have been trying to bring an end to the distasteful trade in Black-headed gull eggs, collected for human consumption. Thousands of the eggs have traditionally been harvested each year, from nesting sites in Hampshire and Yorkshire, to be served up to wealthy diners in fancy restaurants and sold through high end grocery outlets. An annual 'Gulls Egg Luncheon' in support of a well known charity also takes place each year in London, where 600 'city professionals' gather to dine on the eggs of this protected species (though last year they were replaced with quail eggs due to supply issues). Black-headed gulls are an amber listed species, of conservation concern. By Natural England's own admission, the practice of collecting their eggs as human food is 'unsustainable' at one of the primary traditional harvesting areas of Hampshire. There have been alleged reports of illegal egg collecting over the years, not surprising when the eggs can retail for £8 each - but of course if people stopped eating the eggs there would be no demand for them. If all the remaining licences were withdrawn, there would be no legal Black-headed gull eggs available - and no grey areas. And that's exactly what I've been asking Natural England to do. Meanwhile I'm calling on restaurants, grocery stores and others to stop selling the eggs. Eggs advertised for sale.... So, it was something of a surprise to find eggs advertised for sale this week through a well known grocer, allegedly collected from Hampshire - where licences have been suspended since last year and collecting the eggs is not permitted. So what is going on....? I asked Natural England if there are any currently active licences and whether there are any 'legal' eggs in circulation. They have told me emphatically that no licences have been issued in Hampshire, but so far they have been unable or unwilling to confirm or deny whether they have issued any licences for harvesting the eggs in Yorkshire or elsewhere. It might well be that the store had made a mistake in declaring their eggs were from Hampshire, they may have come from a legal licensed source in Yorkshire - if those licences remain in place, but until Natural England reveal details of any currently active licences it's impossible to know. After pressing them for an explanation, Natural England have now said they will get back to me with more information by the end of next week "with regards to an update on licences in Yorkshire and Hampshire.....[and] regarding the Lymington Marshes as well." The mystery remains. No longer sustainable It was last year that Natural England told me they conducted an evidence review into the impacts of egg harvesting in Hampshire and concluded that "the activity was no longer sustainable, where adverse effect on SPA integrity or damage to the SSSI feature could not be ruled out." A similar assessment was being made this year in Yorkshire and they said they'd let me know the results of that by the end of March. Now it's nearly May - the height of the traditional egg harvesting season - and Natural England still haven't shared the outcome. We'll have to wait now for more information before we can see what the future holds for Black-headed gulls. As soon as Natural England get back to me I will let you know. Campaign continues It seems like a good time to tell even more people about our campaign, the more support we have the more likely we are to bring about the changes that are urgently required. Please sign/share HERE And watch this space.....
10 Comments
Anne Dexter
29/4/2023 07:30:18 pm
Unbelievable that certain people ignore the crisis we face, species disappearing and still it goes on. I find it heartbreaking. Thank you for all your hard work, but will it ever stop?
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Mike Dickins
29/4/2023 07:34:32 pm
Natural Englands responses to your enquiries indicate that it is just another expensive government quango that serves
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Margaret Davies
2/5/2023 06:51:49 pm
Well said. As far as I can ascertain anything connected with Natural England regarding policy making is on the side of anyone and anything connected with destruction of Wildlife and the Environment - the very things they should be protecting. The Government needs to take a look into this body and sort it out in favour of increasing biodiversity and real conservation efforts in order to protect our fragile ecosystem and the Wildlife it supports.
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Shel Mac
29/4/2023 09:37:51 pm
Name and shame the outlets too. That would raise awareness in the general public and put pressure on the retailers if we all start emailing/ social media tagging them too
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Anthony P
29/4/2023 11:08:00 pm
It would seem Natural England is no longer fit for purpose. It would also seem my tax money is cushioning many salaries & pensions for those who just don't give a flying sH!t What a bunch of rotten eggs!!! - puns definitely intended!
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David H
30/4/2023 06:22:13 am
I don't understand what the purpose of Natural England is. The more I here about them the more confused I become. Many decisions they make seem to work against, rather than for, nature. Maybe somewhere along the line they lost the 'Un' from the beginning of their name?!
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Keith Lane
30/4/2023 09:59:32 am
Hi Jason,
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richard crowe
30/4/2023 11:03:39 am
Agree with above comment about naming and shaming the grocery outlet. Also the time and place of the Gull Egg Luncheon.you mention which seems a pretty obvious target for a bit of activism. I really dont think the retailer would like the adverse publicity and the City too is very sensitive to bad publicity ...viz for example the CBI scandals. As you say. kill the demand and thats the end of the trade.
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Simon George Spratt
30/4/2023 04:55:45 pm
Good evening Jason!!
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Irene Leggett
13/5/2023 04:10:25 pm
'Natural England' seems to be the wrong title for this very UN-natural department, that seems to make up its own rules, all hell-bent on destroying as much of OUR wildlife as possible.
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