Silence -A Sign of Guilt? What IS Bristol City Council Hiding?

 Back in July 2021 after what appeared to be the poisoning of three foxes on an allotment in the BS3 area of Bristol I was told that hedgehogs as well as foxes might have been killed by rodenticides laid out by allotment tenants on City Council allotments. I was assured that the use of poisons on Council allotments was prohibited. 

However, once poison and fox deaths were looking likely connected  the Council put a block on promised cooperation and refused to respond to emails (phone calls to the City Council as anyone in Bristol knows is near impossible due to the system they employ).

At the beginning of November I was informed by three Council allotment tenants that rodenticides were being laid out at Council allotments and that the Council was aware of this.  When the concerned allotment tenants voiced concerns they were met with belligerence as well as a "who cares?" attitude toward any wildlife poisoned by those holders using the poisons.

Two of the concerned allotment holders attempted to get action taken by the Council or at least receive clarity on the situation. The Council refused to respond. Having dealt with a number of suspected fox poisoning cases since June and knowing that hedgehogs (a species in severe decline) as well as badgers and birds of prey have been affected by rodenticide I felt that the City Council needed to enforce its position or at least make it clear to allotment holders what the regulations are -those online are very vague to say the least and do not list use of poisons.

On the 18th November, 2021 I contacted Stewart Laws of Bristol City Council -the man the Mayor's office had told me back in June that I needed to contact):

Hello.

I have received a number of messages from allotment owners who are somewhat worried about complaining to Bristol City Council over the use by some allotment holders of rat poison around hen hutches.  Their concern is mainly that they may get some "nasty come back" from the allotment users using poison.

As I understand it two hedgehogs have been found dead and it is suspected that this was as a result of digestion of the poisons as they were around the hutches.

I have tried to find out the specific allotments but the fear is that it would be known who complained. Basically the people involved contacted me at the UK National Carnivore Advisory as they felt I would know the Council rules on the use of rodenticides by allotment holders -some claiming the council allows its use. I have looked online but I can find no clear guidance and concern regarding hedgehogs, badgers and foxes and indiscriminate laying out of poison seems to be in mind.

So that I can advise correctly could you please tell me or send me a copy of the rules re the use of poisons on allotments?

My thanks in advance

Terry Hooper-Scharf

British Fox Study/UK National Carnivore Advisory

The response I received was this:

Hi Terry,

 

Appreciate the heads up on this matter.

 

I have put in the contact for Laura weeks (Allotment officer) & cc’d Lerraine Smith the incumbent allotment and smallholding manager.

 

These will be your primary contacts going forward.

 

Kind regards

 

Stewart

Attempts to contact Weeks and Smith proved impossible especially as Laws had not put in any contact details. Their emails were tracked down but messages returned with failure notices. The emails were either being deliberately blocked  or their contact details were not correct. The one time I managed to speak to someone by phone they told me they had no idea who Weeks, Smith or, unbelievably, Laws were. End of conversation.

What I could not understand is why, in his 19th November email response Laws could not have simply stated:

"No. Bristol City Council does not allow the use of rodenticides on its allotments"

"Yes. Rodenticides are allowed on Bristol City Council allotments"

Instead he "cc'd" in two people who have never attempted to contact me, have proven uncontactable and no one at the City council appeared to know them.

Two allotment holders concerned that poisons were still being put out by others on allotments also tried to contact Weeks and Smith but got the same thing. The attitude seriously appeared to be one of "Ignore them. They can't do anything".

On Monday, 6th December 2021 I contacted Stewart Law of Bristol City Council:

Hello.

Considering a simple response was required back in November and I have heard nothing since I find this disappointing as well as concerning. One allotment holder has emailed Laura Weeks but no response.

The question is quite simple based on the fact that some Council allotment tenants are putting out rat poison: does Bristol City Council allow the use of rodenticides on its allotments?

A simple question I am asking privately rather than involve publicity over rat poisons on allotments  which is about to explode as a subject if -as the allotment tenants claim- the council does allow the use of poisons.

I leave it up to yourselves to respond.

No response was received by Wednesday 8th December therefore I sent a "Please could you respond to my email of the 6th December" message. Nothing. On Thursday 9th December I sent the following email to Laws:

On Monday I emailed you -again- regarding the City Council stance on the use of rodenticides on its allotments. Neither yourself nor Laura weeks (Allotment officer) and Lerraine Smith whom others have also tried to contact have had the decency to respond to a very simple question.

Tomorrow afternoon I have one radio interview and then a newspaper interview and I shall make it very clear just how uncooperative Bristol City Council and (named officers) have been on the matter. The assumption will be that Bristol City Council allows use of rodenticides on its allotments which may very well be what has killed foxes and some hedgehogs over the last two years.

I have been very polite on this matter and now given you months to respond. I shall direct all reporters to the Mayor's office on this subject and our assessment of Bristol City Council will be included in our press releases and online site.

Terry Hooper-Scharf

British Fox Study & UK Nationanal Carnivore Advisory

Terry Hooper-Scharf

British Fox Study/UK National Carnivore Advisory

This gave the City Council 24 hours to simply respond with:

"No. Bristol City Council does not allow the use of rodenticides on its allotments"

"Yes. Rodenticides are allowed on Bristol City Council allotments"

It is now 1408 hrs, Friday, 10th December. The City Council has refused to respond which means that with the exception of the one brush off email in early November Bristol City Council has flatly refused to respond to its allotment tenants and voters as well as to myself.

In point of fact Bristol City Council has been obstinate and obstructive since the possibility of rodentiocides killing foxes (at least) was put forward. 

When two dead foxes looking in overall good condition were found dead side-by-side in the BS10 area of the City I told the Council that I had someone going to pick them up for post mortem. When the driver got there the foxes were gone. We now know that three difference witnesses observed the Council collection team picking up the foxes -one witness even spoke to a crew member and was told picking up dead foxes in the area had become "regular".

I contacted Laws at the time who told me flatly without hesitation that the Council had not collected the foxes. Wondering if, perhaps, the foxes had been collected but were not yet in the system I contacted the collection team. Yes, they had picked up the foxes and they'd get back to me once they had the details. Silence followed. There was no doubt the foxes had been picked up as the person I spoke to gave me (after a mistake on my part)  the correct road name.

That foxes were found dead on a regular basis might be an indicator of a virus or disease and yet I was told post mortems were not the Council's business. There was also the possibility of wildlife crime in that someone was targetting foxes. The other possibility was that rodenticides used by the City Council were responsible for fox deaths.

Laws argument that "Every fox death is RTA" was the Council position set in stone. That seemed an odd outright statement considering the Council had stated that they did not carry out testing or post mortems of dead foxes

I can only draw the conclusion that Bristol City Council -shouting out its (false) stance on the environment and ecology- is fully aware that its poisons are responsible for some wildlife deaths. The flat refusal to make a "yes" or "no" statement and continuing silence seems to be a sign of guilt.

The office of Mayor Marvin Rees, who put Laws in contact with me, is supposedly updated and ultimate responsibility has to lie with a Mayor whose claims on ecology and the environment have been taking a battering.