Yorkshire Water have recently agreed to participate in the highly controversial Hen Harrier brood meddling plan.

The people of Yorkshire, your customers, care about these birds. 

This plan does not benefit Hen Harriers and predominantly serves  the interests of grouse shooting that takes place on YW land.

I believe it is wrong to support this flawed plan that has been dismissed by all the major wildlife conservation organisations in the UK and I urge Yorkshire Water to reconsider their involvement. It is bad for wildlife and seriously undermines it's existing environmental credentials. This action also in no way supports YW's existing published biodiversity plan.

The Hen Harrier is in serious trouble in the UK due to illegal killing by the driven grouse shooting industry. Yorkshire is a hotbed for this persecution, consistently having the highest number of confirmed incidents of wildlife crime, mainly against birds of prey.

Many YW staff care passionately about Yorkshire's wildlife, giving thousands of hours volunteering to organisations such as RSPB at Fairburn Ings and Bempton Cliffs. This decision is a kick in the teeth to the values of those staff.

If YW are serious about helping the Hen Harrier, they should reverse this decision and seek advice from credible wildlife and environmental NGOs who would be glad of their help.