‘Gull menace still being handled extremely poorly’, say fed-up MSPs in Moray, Inverness and Nairn after urgent talks on action; Scottish Conservative Douglas Ross and SNP member Fergus Ewing raised their concerns with Scottish Government minister
Action to tackle aggressive gulls in Inverness and other urban settings is “no further forward”, worried Highland MSPs fear after crunch meetings last week.
Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross, and Inverness & Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing were speaking after joining forces to try to address “ongoing problems” caused by over-protective gulls during the breeding season.
The pair held talks with the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie MSP, and a NatureScot representative to discuss options available to businesses and people to tackle what the pair argue is an “increasing and dangerous nuisance” within their communities.
They say the seabirds have moved in numbers from their natural habitat to more urban settings
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And although they were grateful for the chance to raise their concerns, Mr Ewing said they left the meeting feeling like things were “no further forward”.
He said: “In the next weeks, people in Inverness Nairn and Elgin will face the annual divebombing by gulls, and those who are elderly or have poor balance are at risk of falling over after such an attack.
“At the other end of the tree of life, infants in prams or buggies - if the gulls’ dropping lands on them or their blankets the first thing they may do is put it in their mouth.
“That’s why I joined up with Douglas Ross in urging Nature Scot to think of people not just gulls, and grant licences as they did two years ago .
“However, despite meeting the chair of Nature Scotland (March 24) and Jim Fairlie, the Minister in charge of the quango on April 16, I fear we are no further forward.
“I have urged the Minister to order NatureScot, using legal powers he as Minister possesses to grant licences as they did in 2023. If not I fear that serious injury may occur. I will also quiz him in Parliament next week and suggest that should he fail to rein in this quango - which behaves like some feudal barony - he may have blood on his hands.”
Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross meanwhile, was keen to make the point to the Minister that in 2023, 100 plus licences were granted for pest controllers in Inverness and Nairn to either remove nests or ‘spike’ eggs, preventing the gulls from hatching.
In 2024 he said that no licences were initially approved, but on appeal and after most of the eggs had hatched the licences were approved. Despite continued requests and efforts to source a reason for this reduction in the granting of licences, Mr Ross said the NatureScot representative could not provide a clear answer and stated it was probably related to health and safety.
Commenting Mr Ross said “Management of the ongoing gull menace in our towns across Moray is being handled extremely poorly by NatureScot who have made clear by their internal processes and procedures that they will make it almost impossible for any appropriate bodies, or individuals to gain a licence to control gulls.
“Many businesses and organisations are simply looking for approval of a general licence, which would be subject to strict conditions, to control the number of gulls in hot-spot areas where they are causing a severe nuisance, and in some cases are physically attacking members of the local community. This policy was in place in 2023 but despite many requests for a reason, NatureScot have not been able to say why this was changed for 2024 and now 2025.
“While I was grateful for the Minister making the time to discuss this with Fergus and I, we are still being met with an attitude from NatureScot that they are right, and everyone else is wrong. They refuse to acknowledge the concerns of local people and businesses and they are making it almost impossible for licences to be issued to control the growing population of urban gulls.
“This must change and we will be raising this in Parliament again next week. The response I have had from individuals and businesses here in Moray has been overwhelming. People want to see action, not more excuses and reasons why gulls, which are becoming an increasing danger, should not be controlled.
“NatureScot are a public body and should respond to the concerns of the public. Their attitude to date has been shocking, they are obstructive and seemingly unaccountable for their lack of action, which is why the Minister and the Scottish Government need to urgently get a grip of this issue.”
