Amazon and eBay and probably others, are selling mist nets to members of the public without ringing permits. They advertise them as being for protecting fruit trees from birds, although some are advertised as being for catching birds. In fact they are nylon monofilament mist nets made of incredibly thin material, which are almost invisible when erected. It is not illegal to either own or sell a mist net in the UK, but it is illegal to use on without a permit. These are not the type of nets that ringers generally use, so none are likely to be used legally. Some will be purchased by innocent members of the public, who will find them full of dead and dying birds.
To try to get some Government action on this I have started a petition, it is early days but we have had nearly 2000 people sign so far. I would ask that you also sign the petition and get as many other people as possible to do the same, so please share it as well. There has been a great response from people in the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency, if the rest of Scotland did as well we would reach the 10000 signatures to force the Government to respond. So please sign and share the petition below.