White tailed sea eagles attacks on lambs appears to have reached “unprecedented levels”
warns the Scottish Crofting Federation.
The organisation is calling on the Scottish Government to take decisive steps to
limit further damage.
In some areas, predation by sea eagles has become the main cause of death in healthy
lambs.
Reportedly, sea eagles’ habitat range is increasing, with animals being seen in places
where they previously have not been present, and in larger numbers where they have.
Distressing videos have emerged across social media recently showing a sea eagle
flying off with a lamb with the crofter unable to do anything to stop it.
Crofters who used to lamb outdoors have moved indoors to reduce the risk of predation,
and are keeping healthy lambs closer to home longer than before adding to the pressure
put on in-bye land in spring.
SCF director Pàdruig Morrison who is a crofter in North Uist said: “Crofters are
on the ground from dawn till dusk during lambing and have a real sense of lamb health,
vigour, and the occasional but inevitable cases of stillbirths or hypothermia. So
when crofters suggest eagles have killed lambs, it is being said from a place of
intimate knowledge of the flock on the ground.
“Increasingly high welfare standards are expected of crofters in caring for their
lambs - but if the current impact from sea eagles is to continue, significant ethical
questions emerge regarding the perpetuation of such widespread gruesome and painful
damage and death to young lambs.”
The Scottish Government have increased the amount of support available through the
Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS) this year.
SCF chief executive Donna Smith said: “The increase in available support may be viewed
as a concession that sea eagles are indeed killing more lambs recently. We would
encourage everyone who has witnessed losses through predation to apply to the scheme
to give further evidence to government about the real numbers affected.”
SCF chair Johnathan Hedges said: “In some areas, predator numbers have reached a
point where crofters’ losses of healthy lambs through sea eagles by far exceed the
losses through stillbirths and other natural causes of death.
“The situation has reached a point where things are clearly out of proportion.”
SCF is asking government to look into additional measures to control predation in
areas where population increases have become unsustainable.
‘Unprecedented’ level of eagles preying on lambs
28 May 2025
