An estate worker had enough illegal poison to “wipe out the entire Scottish golden eagle and red kite populations several times over”, a court has heard.
Gamekeeper Dean Barr, 44, of East Lodge, Clashmore, Dornoch, admitted possessing 10kg of Carbofuran.
The insecticide, banned in 2005, was found in a farm building, used by Barr, on the exclusive Highlands Skibo Castle estate in May 2010.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson fined the former Ulster Defence Regiment soldier £3,300 at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Despite the find, the Crown accepted Barr had no part in the deaths of two golden eagles and a sparrow hawk found on the estate in May 2010.
The insecticide was discovered in a locked store by police investigating the deaths of the birds. Barr had the keys to the store.
‘Foolish omission’
The Carbofuran found had been bought by a farmer to legally treat crops on a Scottish Borders estate where Barr had worked.
The court heard that while father-of-two Barr had not purchased the powder, he took it with him – along with other items, from a shed when he took the job at Skibo in 2008.
Fiscal depute Ian Smith said: “The RSPB said this was the largest find of any illegal poison in the UK.”
He added: “10kg is sufficient to wipe out the entire Scottish golden eagle and red kite populations several times over.
“Only a few granules are needed to kill a bird of prey.”
Defence lawyer David McKie said Barr was aware of the risks Carbofuran posed, but he had not known how to safely dispose of the powder, which was kept in a plastic tub.
Dwad golden eagle on Skibo estate. Pic by RSPB A dead golden eagle was found on the Skibo estate on 7 May 2010
Mr McKie said Barr’s case was one of “foolish omission” and that his client had been naive and had never used the substance.
However, Sheriff Neilson said it was “extraordinary” that a man of Barr’s experience had not known how to legally dispose of Carbofuran and had been prepared to take it 200 miles north from the Borders to the Highlands.
She told Barr that had he been found responsible for the birds’ deaths, he would have been facing a custodial sentence.
She fined him £3,300 for possession of Carbofuran to “mark the court’s disapproval”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13550213
NORTH WEST HUNT SABOTEURS 
Should have given Barr a dose of the poison. Anybody caught with this illegal deadly poison should go to prison for a long time. This sort of stuff is put down to murder wild life it is disgusting, we do not need poisons at all ,if I had my way I would ban the lot.