A nationwide summit to tackle Scotland’s increasingly aggressive seagull population must be held before someone is seriously hurt or killed, Scottish Parliament has been warned.
Former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross called the debate in Holyrood, arguing the threat posed by “nuisance” gulls has escalated to a “deadly” level, with people’s lives now at risk.
Fellow Tory Rachael Hamilton backed the call, demanding immediate action as more Scots report being “scared, attacked and traumatised” by the birds.
She urged ministers to convene a Scotland-wide summit, warning that localised efforts won’t be enough to address the growing crisis.
While agriculture minister Jim Fairlie has pledged to host a seagull summit in the north of Scotland, Ms Hamilton, who represents the south of the country, insisted the problem spans far beyond one region.
“This isn’t just a local issue,” she said. “It demands a national response.”
The Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP highlighted a spate of attacks in Eyemouth, where seven children were targeted by gulls in a single month last year. One girl was left with deep cuts to her head and blood streaming down her face.
Describing the birds as more than a nuisance, she warned they now pose a serious health and safety risk.
Yet despite mounting public concern, Ms Hamilton said NatureScot’s licensing system for managing the birds remains tangled in bureaucracy and is failing to deliver results.
She told MSPs the debate was “important” and criticised the Scottish Government for failing to take meaningful action.
“Absolutely nothing is getting done. I don’t believe the Government are listening to us because the issue continues in my constituency in Eyemouth.”
Ms Hamilton added: “Aggressive seagull behaviour continues to cause a real concern amongst businesses, amongst tourists, amongst everybody that has anything to do along the harbour.
“And it is not just a seasonal nuisance. It is a serious, growing health risk. It’s a safety risk, particularly for children and elderly residents.”
She said one business owner had described the situation as “people being scared, attacked and traumatised”.
Opening the debate, Mr Ross said people often “smirk” when hearing that the Scottish Parliament is debating the problems around gulls – but he said it was an “extremely serious issue”.
The Highlands and Islands MSP said constituents have told him they are worried about leaving their homes for fear of being “divebombed”, while others have suffered mental health issues thanks to a lack of sleep caused by noisy gulls.
He accused NatureScot of having a conflict of interest as the body responsible for both the licensing to control birds and to conserve them.
He said: “The time has come to break up NatureScot. There is a clear conflict of interest in the fact they are responsible for considering licences to control gulls but are also responsible for protecting bird numbers.
“If the minister cannot see that is a problem, then he is divorced from reality.
“The strength of the cross-party support in my debate today should be all the SNP Government need to finally act before we see someone killed due to being attacked by a gull.”
Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie said while people often “chuckle and laugh” about gulls, it was a “deadly serious” issue. But he told MSPs he could not intervene in the licensing system, warning that doing so could open the government to judicial review.
He said the root cause of the problem was people feeding the birds, either directly or via food waste and litter.
SNP MSP Christine Grahame cautioned against “demonising” gulls, describing them as “clever, adaptable” animals. “Language such as ‘mugging’, ‘menace’ can be applied to us, our fellow counterparts,” she said. “But it is not appropriate to demonise an animal simply looking for food.”
A spokesperson for NatureScot said: “We understand gulls can sometimes cause problems in our towns and cities. At the same time, gull populations are facing serious declines.”
The body said it must balance health and safety concerns with conservation and had supported individuals, businesses and communities to manage gulls without killing them.
As a result, licence applications to destroy nests and eggs and kill chicks fell from 2,633 in 2023 to 1,601 in 2024.
“In the longer term, we will need to find ways to live with gulls and other wildlife,” the spokesperson added.
