Number of birds of prey tested in last five years: EIR release

FOI reference: FOI/18/02347
Date received: 3 September 2018
Date responded: 19 September 2018

 

 

Can you please advise how many birds of prey have been tested in the last five years and how the birds have been disposed of after testing.

 

 

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

 

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

The answer to your question is: SASA’s Chemistry Branch tested 592 birds of prey during the period 3rd September 2013 to 3rd September 2018. SASA normally receive sub-specimens for testing e.g. liver, from various SAC veterinary centres or private veterinary practices located throughout Scotland. However, we did receive 14 carcases during this period. After testing they are disposed of in accordance with documented in-house standard operating procedures, ultimately resulting in incineration of any carcase and sub-specimens.

 

You may wish to contact SAC Consultancy Veterinary Services at

https://www.sruc.ac.uk/info/120145/capital_diagnostics who may be able to help you further with regard to the disposal of carcases they receive.

 

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