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Forfar landowner given 135 hours unpaid work for poisoning birds of prey

COPFS said the order underscores its commitment to enforcing wildlife laws following Burgoyne’s guilty plea for rat poison attacks on raptors

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Clive Burgoyne pleaded guilty to a breach of wildlife legislation

Overview

  • Clive Burgoyne, 38, pleaded guilty at Forfar Sheriff Court on April 22 to a breach of wildlife legislation for poisoning pheasant carcasses in early 2023
  • He left four gutted pheasant carcasses coated with a known rodenticide on the Guynd estate near Arbroath to harm birds of prey in a feud over shooting rights
  • DNA matching Burgoyne was recovered from all four pheasants and analysis by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture confirmed the blue grain was a rodenticide formulation
  • Crown prosecutors highlighted the case as evidence of effective collaboration between COPFS, Police Scotland and agricultural scientists in securing critical forensic proof
  • Burgoyne must complete 135 hours of community payback work within 12 months under the order imposed on June 5, 2025