The reintroduction of golden eagles in England poses a threat to livestock, farmers have warned.
While the bird of prey has been successfully brought back to southern Scotland, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is concerned about its impact south of the border.
It has been more than 150 years since the birds became effectively extinct in England due to hunting by gamekeepers and farmers.
But a feasibility study from Forestry England set to be published later this year is believed to conclude that there is capacity to support a reintroduction of the birds.
It comes after the success of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, which has seen the birds moved from the Highlands to the south of the country. Efforts have seen numbers climb from three or four pairs to more than 50.
It is believed the model used in Scotland would be used as a template by Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary, if plans were to go ahead in England.
However, the potential plans have come under fire from farmers who fear the birds could eat their livestock, particularly young lambs.
Abi Reader, the deputy president of NFU Cymru, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Golden eagles are really big birds, and they’re birds of prey.
“We’ve now got a farming system that’s developed without these animals around.
“They represent a threat to livestock farmers, so particularly [for] those who are farming sheep, when you’ve got small animals on the ground, they are suitable prey.
“If you’re a farmer, you’ve spent your entire year building up to a decent lambing crop, and suddenly it’s decimated by these golden eagles, then it can be really damaging for farming businesses.”
But Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management at the RSPB, said the Scottish model could work in England.
“This project was only initiated after a lot of stakeholder engagement and also a full feasibility study as to the suitability of the countryside in the south of Scotland to hold these birds,” he said.
Mr Orr-Ewing added that the birds were “extremely adaptable” and could find enough wild prey – as they do in the Highlands where food sources are “very short”.
“Yet golden eagles manage to thrive in these areas,” he continued. “In the south of Scotland, we’ve found that the survival rate of golden eagles that have been released has been exceptionally high.
“They are feeding on birds, grouse, hares, rabbits. They also take things like deer calves, fox cubs. So their diet is very cosmopolitan.”