MP demands ‘fat, aggressive’ seagulls are fed contraceptives or have their eggs replaced with fakes to curb numbers John Woodcock, the Independent MP for Barrow and Furness, previously called for a national seagull summit

An MP is calling on the government to feed seagulls contraceptives following a series of reports of pets being snatched and people being attacked around the British coast.

John Woodcock, the Independent MP for Barrow and Furness, previously called for a national seagull summit in order to reach a solution to the rising population of sea birds.

He escalated his plea after a chihuahua was snatched by a gull from an owner’s back garden in Devon. Rebecca Hill is still desperately searching for four-year-old pet Gizmo, who was carried off in the beak of a bird on Sunday.

The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Mr Woodcock added that Brexit could allow more action to be taken against seagulls, as it removes protections for wild birds outlined by the EU.

‘A menace for years’

“The seagull issue has been a menace for years,” he said. “Putting contraceptives in food has been effective in some areas.

“An alternative is replacing their eggs with fakes.”

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said that all seven breeds of gull in the UK were the subject of “conservative concern”, despite an apparent increase in population.

However, Mr Woodcock suggested the charity divert its attention to dwindling bird populations that really need help.

“Let local communities take action against the fat, aggressive urban sods that dive bomb us, crap on our cars, steal food out of our hands and terrorise our pets,” he said.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal to kill or injure any seagull or damage its nest.

‘A huge nuisance’

He is far from the first MP to raise concerns about the menace of seagulls on blighted coastal communities.



Kirsty Blackman, the SNP MP for Aberdeen North, called for contraception to be fed to seagulls in Scotland in 2018 after several of her residents were divebombed.

“My constituents regularly contact me about the blight of gulls in Aberdeen; they’re noisy, messy and can generally be a huge nuisance in parts of the city,” she told the Herald.

“I am keen to learn from any area that successfully and humanely reduces the number of gulls causing trouble.

“If that means pilot schemes that use fake eggs or contraception then I, and I think most folk in Aberdeen, would look forward to seeing the results.”