NGO Resignation letter from the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group

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For the sake of clarity, and to correct any misinformation that currently exists surrounding the resignation of the NGO from the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG), the NGO is publishing below its resignation letter to the Chairman of the group.  This follows on from a piece in today's Times, titled ‘Shooting lobby snubs bid to save birds of prey’,  which was largely informed by leaks from what remains of the RPPDG. The NGO remains committed to stopping raptor persecution and is already in new talks with Government and others to pursue an active agenda for consigning raptor persecution to the history books.

Letter to Superintendent Nick Lyall, Chairman of the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group:

Dear Nick,

You are aware, from what I said in the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group meeting on 20 April and our conversations in the summer and more recently, that the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation has been deeply concerned for some time at the way the RPPDG has been going.

The precious honesty, openness and trust between disparate organisations that had helped the Group to make useful progress in its early years have, in recent times, been lost through increasingly dishonourable behaviour by some of the member organisations. This trend culminated with the leaking of minutes and then the publication of the online persecution maps on which we had all worked together and agreed, only for member organisations to state in public their opposition to them.

Since then, you have tried to kick start the Group’s work but regrettably this has been done without the care required for so delicate a subject, resulting in further loss of trust rather than any improvements.

We had the very unfortunate coverage in The Times in October, for which you promised a correction of some sort – not forthcoming.

And then, as recently as yesterday you assured me that there would be no new attendees joining the RPPDG unless the Group as a whole had first discussed and agreed to that. Yet today you have authorised the attendance at tomorrow’s meeting of two new organisations and a second delegate from a third organisation, who you had also assured me yesterday would not be coming. Asked by email for an explanation, you have failed to reply.

In the circumstances, I am afraid the NGO’s confidence in the way the group is being run, and our trust in your own integrity to run it, are spent. Little or nothing is being achieved except further division and time wasting. With the authority of the NGO Chairman, therefore, I am notifying you now that the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation is leaving the RPPDG forthwith and will not be represented at tomorrows or future meetings.

The NGO remains wholly committed to ending raptor persecution and will continue to campaign as it always has for countryside management within the law. The organisation will also continue to work bi-laterally with Defra, kindred organisations and any others prepared to work with us in good faith and an atmosphere of trust towards that common objective. It is regrettable that the RPPDG no longer comes into that category.

With best wishes,

Charles Nodder