Meeting of the Parliament 26 June 2025
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I absolutely agree with Douglas Ross’s point. The same constituent of mine who wrote to NatureScot was told to approach local government, because the issue was one for it to resolve. They were told that, rather than NatureScot removing seagulls’ eggs and nests, councils need to stop people dropping food in the street and littering, and they need to put in place better bins that gulls cannot get into.
It seems that NatureScot is saying that it will not do anything because seagull numbers are falling. However, if it were so concerned about those falling numbers, its response would not be to advise people to remove food sources. It seems that it is really trying to ensure that somebody else takes action, and it is passing the buck. We cannot continue in that way, and we have to make sure that things change, because the issue presents a danger to the public.
As Emma Roddick mentioned, almost 20 years ago in Inverness, there was a sharp increase in gulls coming into the city, following the closure of a nearby landfill site. The council took measures to remove nests under licence, but it also considered other deterrents that were not deadly to birds, all of which helped. Putting together all the available tools and approaches alongside the licensed removal of nests does work, including using sonar and lasers and deploying birds of prey. All of those strategies will have to be considered if towns such as Elgin, Inverness and many others are to receive timely intervention.
The longer the debate has gone on, the more we have heard that there is a role for the Scottish National Party Government to better facilitate an effective relationship whereby NatureScot and local authorities can work together to use all the tools that are at their disposal. Of course, that will need funding, and we know that local authorities have been underfunded for years. It is simply not right for NatureScot to pass on its responsibility.
I hope that, in closing the debate, the minister will address how the Government could step in to ensure that all the organisations concerned can manage the danger that is caused by seagulls attacking people, because that is a public health issue.
13:09