Maps showing where birds of prey have been poisoned should serve as a "wake-up call," Environment Minister Richard Benyon said today.

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The maps, published for the first time by the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW), highlight both the number and location of confirmed poisonings of birds of prey from 2007 to 2011 across England and Wales. In all, 101 cases of illegal poisoning were verified over the period.

Nineteen such incidents (in which 30 birds were killed) occurred in 2011, the last year for which data is available. Figures covering the same period released last year by PAW and the Scottish government revealed that sixteen birds of prey were poisoned in 2011 in the country; a total of 115 birds were shown to have been poisoned since 2007.

Commenting on the figures for England and Wales, Environment Minister Richard Benyon said, "I am appalled that these crimes continue to be committed and I am determined to stamp them out. Those responsible have no consideration for what they are killing or the impact their activities are having on wildlife and the wider environment.

"I want people to be alert to this problem and report their suspicions to the police. It is about time we put an end to this cruel and barbaric crime."

In May 2012, the environment minister, withdrew plans to capture buzzards and destroy their nests to benefit estates where game shoots take place, after the proposals proved wildly unpopular with the public. The minister had formerly sanctioned the plans, and said at the time "We need to understand better the whole relationship between raptors, game birds and other livestock."  

Although Defra initially supported the measure, government documentation revealed the impact of buzzards on pheasant populations was not fully understood; Defra ministers were found to have relied on figures which showed 76 per cent of gamekeepers believe buzzards have an impact on pheasant poults, though data from consultancy ADAS suggested all birds of prey combined are responsible for the death of around 1 percent of poults, whereas road traffic claims many more.

The data on wildlife poisonings, released on Tuesday (12th February), show banned substances, including Carbofuran, or aldicarb, were used in the majority of poisonings.

Bob Elliot, RSPB head of investigations, commented on Tuesday, "These maps illustrate the problem that our birds of prey face. We need to remember, however, that the dots represent the tip of a much bigger iceberg as these criminal offences are often discovered by pure chance.

"These aren't just points on a map. Each dot represents a crime where a bird of prey has been killed in a calculated way. Birds of prey have suffered centuries of persecution, and these maps prove those attitudes still prevail today. We will continue to work in partnership to ensure that we all bear down on these unacceptable crimes."

In January this year, gamekeeper Robert William Hebblewhite from Scunthorpe was fined for possession of Carbofuran and poisoning two buzzards at Lincoln Magistrates' Court. The gamekeeper was found in possession of enough of the illegal poison "to kill all the birds of prey in a county," according to the RSPB.

Maps showing where poisonings occurred are available from PAW here