Hen harriers are among the most persecuted raptors in Britain, and brood management trials offer a contested tool for reconciling grouse moor management with harrier recovery.
Hen harriers subject to persecution experience direct welfare harm through trapping, shooting, and poisoning. Satellite-tagged birds show elevated stress responses in landscapes with high persecution pressure, altering ranging behaviour and breeding site selection. Brood-managed chicks experience disruption of the normal parent-chick bond and must adapt to artificial rearing conditions. The welfare of persecuted individuals represents both an individual harm and a conservation crisis threatening species survival.