Wildfires have forced more than 1,400 people to leave their homes in western Spain as dry, hot conditions spark warnings in other European countries.

Towns and campsites have been evacuated as planes and helicopters help to tackle the blaze in Spain's Sierra de Gata mountain area.
Nearly 80% of neighbouring Portugal is experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions, experts say.
Meanwhile Germany is facing its hottest temperatures on record.
Meteorologists say temperatures in Germany's south could exceed the country's all-time high of 40.3C (105F) on Friday.
The current record was measured on 5 July in the town of Kitzingen in Bavaria.
Some 330 firefighters and other emergency crew members were deployed as fires, fanned by strong winds, threatened homes in Spain's Extremadura region in the early hours of Friday, according to reports.
The blaze has burned more than 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres), local police said in a statement (in Spanish).
More fires destroyed about 3,000 hectares of forest and scrubland near the towns of Lorca and Cieza, near Murcia, in the south-east of the country.
Exceptionally dry conditions, rising temperatures and moderate winds have also increased the risk of forest fires in Portugal, officials there said.
The Portuguese Weather and Sea Institute said in a monthly report published on Thursday that average rainfall in July was only 3.5mm (0.1 inches). The usual amount for July is almost 14mm.
Warnings are also in place for extreme heat in eastern France.
But the UK is forecast to see temperatures peak at about 25C over the weekend.
Where's hotter than where you are?
Your comments:
Jonathan, Valencia, Spain: Today's temperature is 35C (95F) with 85% humidity. The weather has been exceptionally dry and hot. Last week we had a rain storm that gave 15mm of rain, which was the first rain for weeks. The last six weeks have seen temperatures between 30C through to 42C.
David, Zaragoza, Spain: Temperatures in the city reached an all-time high recently at 44.4C in the shade. Fires in the surrounding region are a daily occurrence, many started by violent lightning storms and some started deliberately. Tempers are short, domestic incidents are up. Citizens seek shade in parks, bathe in municipal swimming pools or stay behind closed shutters. Bar terraces, normally full of people, are almost deserted - only the most hardened smokers are braving the temperatures. New laws have been brought in prohibiting air-conditioning to be on at night for many.
Tony, Axarquia, Spain: Last week the temperature in the garden of my home hit 44C. Not as bad as August of 2014 when the thermometer hit its maximum of 50C. We're about 600 metres above sea level in the mountains and getting about two hours' wear out of a T-shirt!
Neale, Algarve, Portugal: I can't remember the last time it rained here, maybe sometime in mid-May. However, contrary to the UK, we continue life without any water usage restrictions. All water here is metered and the water management here seems to be far more effective than in the UK. Even if it doesn't rain for another 18 months, the reservoirs will still hold enough water to supply the local population.
Dan, south-east Bavaria, Germany: As an ex-pat living here all I can say is "scorchio". Since the beginning of July it has been in the 30s but today is special. Even my eyeballs are sweating!
Tana, Toulouse, France: Following eight weeks of persistent heatwave, Toulouse is at meltdown. Houses are shuttered up in the day and no one ventures out unless essential. Praying for a thunderstorm to cool things down!


Essex teenager Aaron Beard says playing in England's Ashes warm-up match is an experience he will never forget.

The 15-year-old was a fielding substitute for the county side, but also acted as 12th man for England and took part in practice with James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
"It's my dream to play with all those players," he told BBC Sport. "It's surreal, I'm just trying to take as many tips as I can.
"It was a big experience for me that I will never forget."
Beard was initially part of the Essex academy which practised with England before the game at Chelmsford started on Sunday.
Bowling in the nets, he even took the wicket of Anderson.
"Being a pace bowler I look up to James Anderson," said Beard, who is already capable of bowling at speeds of 77mph. "He smiled at me when I got him out."
When Essex suffered injuries, Beard was pressed into action as a substitute on day three and was fielding when England captain Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott shared a second-wicket stand of 119.
"Alastair Cook is an Essex player that I've seen around quite a few times. With him and Trott out there it was amazing," said Beard, who attends The Boswells School and plays his club cricket for Chelmsford.
"There was a big difference from the cricket I've played before in the gaps that they pick, how hard they hit the ball and how many times you have to run.
"As the overs went on I found it easier because I worked out what it was I had to do."
Beard again took the field for Essex at the beginning of the final day, but was then asked to act as 12th man for England as they wrapped up a 228-run win.
As well as carrying drinks for the national side, Beard bowled on the outfield during the lunch break with Anderson and Broad while England team director Andy Flower and bowling coach David Saker watched on.
The youngest player to win a Test cap for England is Brian Close, who was 18 years and 149 days when he appeared against New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1949
"I knew I was going to be 12th man for Essex again, but I was then asked if I could take care of the England drinks, which I couldn't really turn down," said Beard.
"Anderson and Broad were saying that I have to believe in what I do, because I do it for a reason. Andy Flower was backing me because he'd seen me bowl on Sunday."
Beard had been given special permission to take time off school in order to carry out his duties with Essex and England, but will now return to the classroom on Thursday.
"I won't be doing as much work, I'll be talking quite a lot about my experiences," he said.
The right-arm seamer says his experience with England has made him more driven to become a professional cricketer, but with his next game set to be at Upminster in the Essex League Premier Division on Saturday, his father Alan says the initial priority is to keep him level-headed.
"It's going to be tough to get him back to normality," said Beard Sr.
"It's all about making sure he gets the right balance between his cricket and school life, but most importantly he has to keep his feet on the ground."


A man has been attacked with a machete at a sports club in County Antrim.

Police said the attacker got out of a car outside the club at the Square in Ballyclare, and struck the member of staff a number of times. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
It happened at about 23:00 BST on Saturday.
A 27-year-old man was arrested.  He has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries.


An 11-year-old girl who died after falling from a theme park water ride received "no help and was eventually sucked under the water", MPs heard.

Evha Jannath, from Leicester, fell from the Splash Canyon ride on a school trip to Drayton Manor theme park in May.
Her family said they wanted to know the truth about how it happened to prevent another tragedy.
Leading a Commons debate on theme park safety, Leicester East Labour MP Keith Vaz said changes needed to be made.
Updates on this story and more from the East Midlands
He said Evha's family were "concerned at potential negligence" leading to her death.
Eyewitnesses said Evha, who went to Jameah Girls Academy, tried to move towards the boat after falling into the water but received "no help" despite her friends calling for assistance, the Commons heard.
Mr Vaz said Evha's family remain "shocked and in mourning".
"To lose a child is horrific and yet to use that loss in a way that means there will be positive change... for others is, in my view, nothing short of heroic," he said.
"Having spoken to Evha's father Muhammed Islam, I know he is set on ensuring that no other families are hit by a tragic event like this again."
Mr Vaz also suggested changes to improve theme park safety, including children under 12 being "accompanied by an adult at all times" on such rides and said it should be a "priority" to have them "adequately staffed".
He said a change in the law was necessary to lift the "woefully low" Â£15,000 cap on bereavement damages for a child's death.
Work and pensions minister Penny Mordaunt said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) would ensure lessons were learnt and acted on by the industry from the "tragic" event.
Drayton Manor's procedures for responding to emergencies would be examined and the Splash Canyon ride would remain closed while the investigation took place, she added.
An inquest into Evha's death has been adjourned until November.


North Korea appears to have suffered a second internet blackout, according to internet performance measuring firm Dyn Research.

On its Twitter feed, the firm reported a second outage this afternoon - which was restored less than an hour later.
"Internet of North Korea down again at 15.41 UTC. Second blackout since last night's restoration of service," the tweet read.
The first outage saw large parts of the internet unavailable in North Korea.
Officials have not yet commented on the issue.
Speculation is rife about the source of the blackouts, following a cyber security row with the US.
China has denounced reports suggesting it was responsible. US officials have not commented on any possible American involvement.
The US had said it would launch a proportional response to the hacking of Sony Pictures, after an FBI investigation appeared to show that North Korea was behind the hack attack which led to films and private emails being leaked online.
The Interview, which depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was cancelled by Sony following threats from hackers.
Internet services in North Korea were down for around nine and a half hours in the first outage, according to Dyn Research.
Some questioned how much an outage would affect a country where normal citizens have little access to the web.
Although many have computers and smartphones, they only have access to a government-approved intranet. Access to the world wide web is reserved for a trusted elite in North Korean society.
North Korea's internet is handled by state-run company Star Join Ventures which is routed through Chinese telecommunications firm China Unicom.


Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says he wants to be in charge of the club for "many years" and lead the Blues into the new Stamford Bridge.

Conte arrived on a three-year deal last summer but is now looking beyond that.
The Blues have planning permission to rebuild their ground, though they are yet to decide whether to proceed.
"This could be a fantastic challenge for me and also for the club - to stay together and to play with this team in a new stadium," said Italian Conte.
The last manager to have four calendar years in charge of Chelsea was John Neal between 1981 and 1985.
"I want to break this bad record. I must be positive," added Conte, who steered the Blues to the Premier League title in his first season.
"When you start a job with a new club, I hope to stay in this club for many years. Honestly, the new stadium will be great - but I love Stamford Bridge a lot.
"Stamford Bridge is like my house."
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Chelsea have been given permission by the mayor of London to build a new £500m 60,000-seat stadium.
If they do rebuild Stamford Bridge they will probably need to temporarily relocate, with Wembley the most likely destination.
The national stadium is Tottenham's home this season while White Hart Lane is redeveloped, and Spurs host Conte's side in their first Premier League home game there on Sunday (16:00 BST).
Conte took charge of former club Juventus in 2011 as they moved into a new stadium. They had left their former Stadio delle Alpi home in 2006 and shared the Stadio Olimpico with local rivals Torino a ground for five years.
"For sure, it's not the same when you play not in your stadium," Conte added.
"But if you want to have another good step to improve the club, you must have this type of situation."
Despite Conte's comments, former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton is unconvinced the Italian will last in west London.
With striker Diego Costa absent in Brazil and midfielder Nemanja Matic sold to rivals Manchester United, Sutton told BBC Radio 5 live there are issues Conte might not be happy with.
"There are cracks appearing at Chelsea," he said. "There's a power struggle - are we to believe that Conte has control of the Costa situation when we know he didn't want Matic sold to Manchester United? I can't work certain things out.
"I do wonder, with only 11 days left of the transfer window, whether Conte is going to last. Things are not right at Stamford Bridge and it wouldn't surprise me if he isn't there in two weeks.
"If he feels he doesn't have the tools to challenge in the Premier League and in Europe, what is there to say he doesn't just walk away?"


British eventer William Fox-Pitt has been called a "fantastic ambassador" as equestrian followers wish him well following a head injury.

The former world number one is under sedation in a French hospital after a fall on the cross-country course at the World Young Horse Championships.
Fox-Pitt, 46, was thrown to the ground when his uninjured horse hit a fence.
"There has been a tremendous amount of support from everyone," said Team GB equestrian chief Yogi Breisner.
Father-of-four Fox-Pitt, who is married to Channel 4 racing presenter Alice Plunkett, is GB's most successful rider with 20 major championship medals.
On Tuesday night, Plunkett tweeted that her husband "remains stable and under sedation. He is in great hands and is progressing well. Thank you again for all your support".
Fox-Pitt's achievements include three Olympic team podium finishes and six European team gold medals for Great Britain. He won this year's Badminton Horse Trials on his horse Chilli Morning.
"William has been on just about every British team for the last 20 years. He has been a fantastic ambassador," Breisner told BBC Sport.
"He has been number one in the world, had more four-star rides than any other rider, and has won individual medals at World and European Championships."
Fox-Pitt, who is based at Sturminster Newton in Dorset, was competing on Reinstated in the seven-year-old class at Le Lion-d'Angers.
"He is is being monitored but the hospital haven't given any timings whatsoever," said Breisner.
"They just don't know and it will depend on how the brain reacts and when they bring him out of sedation."
Fox-Pitt is not thought to have any other significant injuries and the sedation is a way of protecting the brain from swelling.
"There has been a tremendous amount of support from everyone. Our thoughts are with William and his family. He is in one of the leading hospitals in France and is being taken care of by specialists," added Breisner.


Two explosions have killed 12 people in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, in what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh labelled as a "dastardly attack".

The blasts that hit the city in Andhra Pradesh were 10 minutes apart, police said. Television images showed casualties being rushed to hospital.
India's home minister said bombs had been planted on bicycles 150m (500ft) apart near a crowded fruit market.
Major cities have been put on alert as police probe the cause for the blasts.
"The number of dead has increased to 12 and the injured are 57," Home Secretary RK Singh said after a high-level security meeting following the attacks.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the number of casualties may rise.
The explosions hit just after 19:00 (13:30 GMT) within a radius of 150 metres, Home Minister Sushil Shinde said. There was a possible third blast reported shortly afterwards, Hyderabad police told the BBC.
No group has so far said it carried out the attack.
Authorities had received intelligence about possible attacks in the country but no specific information as to where or when they might occur, Mr Shinde said.
The information had been passed on to the states, he added.
Prime Minister Singh has urged the public to remain calm.
"The guilty will not go unpunished," he tweeted.
He has directed federal agencies to extend all possible help to the state authorities in the relief effort, and offered 200,000 rupees (Â£2,500) to the next of kin of each person killed.
Meanwhile, Australia's cricket team says it has held talks about its players' safety with Indian authorities in the wake of the deadly twin bombings. The second Test of the  India-Australia series is due to start in Hyderabad on 2 March.
"The safety of the squad is of paramount importance and Australian team management and Cricket Australia staff are liaising with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, local authorities and the Australian High Commission to ensure we have all the appropriate information," the team said in a statement on Thursday.
Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra state have been put on high alert following the blasts, with measures such as increased police presence on the streets and random vehicle searches.
The US has offered its sympathy and support to the Indian government, and US Secretary of State John Kerry was expected to discuss the attack with India's foreign secretary later.
"The United States stands with India in combating the scourge of terrorism and we are also prepared to offer any and all assistance the Indian authorities may need," said state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
It is the first major bomb attack in India since a September 2011 blast outside Delhi's High Court killed 13 people.
The Muslim extremist group Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (Huji) said it carried out the Delhi attack.
Hyderabad is one of southern India's main commercial hubs, and the UK opened a new deputy high commission in the city late last year.
The explosions hit the busy Dilsukh Nagar neighbourhood, which is crowded with cinemas, shops, restaurants and one of India's largest fruit and vegetable markets.
There have been at least nine attacks on the city since 1992, including twin explosions in 2007 that killed more than 40 people.
The city has a sizeable Muslim minority, is a stronghold of the Muslim political party, MIM, and has a long history of religious tension, says the BBC's Soutik Biswas in Delhi.
He says religious tensions grew from the 1980s and 1990s with Hindus and Muslims moving out of mixed areas into community ghettos.


Mountaineer and writer Dr Hamish Brown has been announced as the 10th recipient of The Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture.

He was the first person to walk all the Munros, mountains of more than 3,000ft (914.4m), in a single trip.
Dr Brown's 112-day journey in 1974 involved 289 peaks and 1,639 miles, which he covered by walking, cycling and travelling on two ferries.
The 82-year-old, of Burntisland, Fife, will receive the award next month.
It will be presented during the Fort William Mountain Festival.
Mile Pescod, one of the festival's organisers, said: "Hamish embodies the passion and the excitement that exploring the wild Scottish landscape entails, and the great desire to share this sense of adventurous wonder with others.
"Not only has Hamish explored Scotland and many other mountain areas right across the globe but he has helped countless others do the same and find the same sense of satisfaction.
"Hamish is a true exponent of mountain culture."


The BBC has visited the world's biggest building, as part of the Intelligent Machines season.

17 September 2015 Last updated at 18:50 BST
Boeing's giant factory near Seattle in the US uses robots to construct the new aircraft it churns out.
Read and watch more from our series of articles about artificial intelligence:


Contact police had with a man before he sustained serious burns is being investigated by the police watchdog.

Officers attended a property in Plymouth after reports of a man with a can of flammable liquid were made by a member of the public.
The man later sustained serious burns and police records indicated a Taser was deployed, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.
It was referred voluntarily by Devon and Cornwall Police to the IPCC.
The watchdog said the 32-year-old man was taken to the city's Derriford Hospital and has since been transferred to the burns unit at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
His condition is described as life-changing, but is not considered to be life-threatening.
The IPCC said it believed two police officers attended the address in Honicknowle shortly after 21:00 BST on Thursday.
It added that the investigation would be looking at what extent, if any, police actions caused or contributed to the man's injuries, and whether officers acted in accordance with procedures.


London Irish have confirmed the appointment of Tom Coventry as their new head coach from the start of the 2015-16 season.

The 48-year-old, currently assistant boss of New Zealand side the Chiefs, will come in following the departure of director of rugby Brian Smith.
The Exiles are 11th in the Premiership table with just four wins this term.
"The owners have a clear vision of where they want to take the club," Coventry told the club's website.
"It is a challenge I am immensely excited by and I cannot wait to get stuck in when I join.
"I have enjoyed my time with the Chiefs and will continue to do so until it is time to go, but I think to stay fresh as a coach it is important to immerse yourself in new environments, challenges and experiences, which is what I am going to do."
Forwards coach Glenn Delaney has been left in charge of the Exiles as the interim head coach until the end of the season.
Coventry - who was part of the Chiefs' coaching set-up that won the Super Rugby title in 2012 and 2013 - will join the club after his commitments in his native New Zealand are completed.
He is also co-head coach at international level with Samoa and has previously been in charge of Hawke's Bay, New Zealand Under-20s and New Zealand Schools.
"We have undertaken an extensive international search to find a top-calibre coach to take London Irish forward," said London Irish director Bob Casey.
"Tom Coventry proved to be an outstanding candidate given his individual character and rugby experience.
"He comes from the best rugby environment in the world where he has had much success and worked with two of New Zealand's leading coaches in Wayne Smith and Dave Rennie.
"It is a great coup for London Irish to secure a coach of Tom's calibre to lead our rugby programme over the coming seasons.  We look forward to welcoming Tom and his family into the London Irish family."
Former Waikato loose forward Coventry said the club's investment in new facilities played a prominent part in convincing him to make the switch to the Premiership.
"I had lengthy discussions with the board of directors at London Irish," he added.
"With the significant investment that has been put into the club, especially with the new training facility, it made my decision to join a straightforward one."


Nurse, social worker, teacher, doctor - pretty much any public sector worker in England, Wales and Northern Ireland would have been justified in feeling a bit more chipper this morning, had they had time to listen to comments from the defence secretary or the transport secretary, both hinting that the limit on their pay rises might be about to come to an end.

They might been further bolstered by comments after Prime Minister's Questions, if they had been watching the news this afternoon, when Number 10's spokesman suggested that although it was important still to balance the books, the government understands people are "weary" after years of the limit.
And, in line with Michael Fallon and Chris Grayling's comments, the government is ready to listen to the case to "scrap the cap" - bringing a potential end to the policy that was designed to save Â£5bn for the public purse by 2020.
By teatime however, after the Treasury had slightly less enthusiastically said they were "open to discussion", that nurse, social worker, teacher or doctor had slightly less cause for feeling optimistic about a bigger pay rise any time soon.
Number 10 had perhaps not changed, but certainly tweaked, their tune - saying when asked repeatedly that the policy has not changed, the independent pay review bodies will report in due course and the government will consider their proposals.
So far, so confusing. Neither Number 10 nor the Treasury, who it's suggested were not entirely thrilled with the suggestion,  are ready by the end of this political day to be able to make such a big change, or to give Labour such a big victory.
The problem for them however is not just what appears to be a changing mood among some voters, but also very public hints by cabinet members that the cap, becoming painful for some as inflation starts to lift, could disappear along with Theresa May's majority.


A dead whale found washed up on a beach in Essex was likely to have been hit by a ship, experts have said.

6 January 2016 Last updated at 14:47 GMT
The 35ft (10.6m) minke whale was first spotted floating in the Thames Estuary on Sunday and was found washed up on East Beach, Shoeburyness, on Monday.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said scientists from the Natural History Museum examined the mammal and said it did not pose an environmental hazard.
It is not yet known how the whale will be disposed of.


Scotland-based temporary power company Aggreko has suffered a slump in its share valuation after warning of a dip in profit this year.

The energy firm reported a 24% drop in pre-tax profits for 2016 to £172m - much of that explained by the weak oil drilling and refining markets in the United States.
It reduced the valuation of its US assets by £30m, though it said there were signs of that market recovering.
Revenue fell in 2016 by 3% to £1.5bn.
Aggreko said trading conditions were particularly difficult in South America, with a renegotiation of a contract to supply power in Argentina. European trading was stronger.
The figures lacked the boost Aggreko gets regularly from supplying power to the Olympics and Winter Olympics. Comparisons with 2015 looked poorer because that year included temporary powering for the European Games.
The company pulled out of bidding for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games, complaining that the bidding process was running too late and was disorganised.
Aggreko, which is headquartered in Glasgow with a generator assembly plant in Dumbarton, intends to cut annual costs by £25m, starting in the second half of this year.
Commenting on current trading and outlook, chief executive Chris Weston said he expected the cost cutting to help the firm achieve growth in 2017: "However, this will be more than offset by the significant impact of Argentina, and as a result we expect full year profit before tax and pre-exceptional items to be lower than last year."
As a response to the results announcement, Aggreko's share price dropped by 11%.
Mr Weston added: "Whilst the trading environment over the last 12 months has been challenging I am pleased with the progress that we are making across the group, implementing our transformation programme to return the business to growth.
"We are investing in the right technologies to reduce costs to our customers, improving our customer focus and delivering efficiencies."


A strike by dockers at the Port of Grangemouth has been suspended following a breakthrough in a dispute over shift patterns.

The union Unite said the action was suspended after port owners Forth Ports agreed to hold talks.
Arrangements are being made with the conciliation service Acas, with talks expected to begin early next week.
Unite said picket lines would be lifted and about 80 port workers would make "a full return to work" by Monday.
Crane drivers and loaders began a two-week strike on Tuesday, with Unite claiming that new rotas being introduced by Forth Ports amounted to a "de facto pay cut".
On Friday, Unite claimed that fuel supplies to forecourts in Scotland and the north of England could be hit by the strike.
Forth Ports said only its container quayside operations had been affected by the action.
Announcing the suspension of the strike, Unite regional officer Sandy Smart said: "We are pleased that Forth Port's management have lifted their imposition on our members' shift rotas and agreed to enter into conciliation.
"Our strike action will now be suspended with immediate effect and picket lines will be lifted, enabling full operations at the port to get under way again.
"This is an important first step on the path to resolving this dispute.
"If Forth Port's management approach the conciliation with the same spirit in which they accepted our offer then we will be able to negotiate a mutually agreeable outcome."
The Port of Grangemouth handles more than 150,000 containers annually, with daily sailings to Rotterdam, Antwerp, Felixstowe and Hamburg.


A man who survived a crash that killed his two friends on a remote Australian highway died hours later from injuries unrelated to the accident, police said.

Local media reported that the man was driving the car when it crashed and later took his own life.
The men from New Zealand, aged 24 to 25, were on a hunting trip and not wearing seat belts, reports said.
Their families have reportedly arrived in Australia to arrange for their bodies to be flown back.
Police said they were preparing a report for the coroner.
The men were named by Australian and New Zealand media as Kadin Wallace, Jeremy Vergeer, and Dylan Sherriff, and were reportedly working on farms in the Esperance region.
Kadin Wallace, who was believed to be driving, survived the crash but is understood to have taken his own life before emergency services arrived, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mr Vergeer got engaged just weeks ago and was the father of a child from a previous relationship.
His fiancÃ©e, Lauren Withers, posted a message to social media describing him as "my soulmate, my best friend, my everything".
"The future seemed so promising for us... 2016 was going to be the best year for us, buying our first home, getting married and moving to NZ to start our family," Ms Withers said.


SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she was keeping "under review" the possibility of a 50p top rate of income tax.

Her party supported the move at the UK general election in 2015 but took advice that warned against introducing the 50p rate just for Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon said details of whether the SNP would again support a UK-wide 50p top rate would be in the SNP manifesto.
The Tories warned against raising the tax rate, saying it could result in revenue being lost.
Scottish Labour said the SNP had joined forces with the Tories to vote down such a proposal in the Scottish Parliament.
The Lib Dems said the SNP were "all over the place" on tax.
The Additional Rate kicks in when taxpayers have earned Â£150,000 in a year. Income above that threshold is currently taxed at 45p in the pound.
The parties clashed the day after Finance Secretary Derek Mackay told MSPs that the Scottish government was still considering whether to put up tax for higher earners in Scotland from next year.
He said the government's council of economic advisers was looking at whether a 50p rate could be introduced from 2018-19.
Ms Sturgeon has faced criticism for not using new tax powers at Holyrood to implement a policy that she supported for the UK general election in 2015.
But Scotland's first minister said there were fears that it could harm the Scottish economy if higher earners sought to avoid the tax by moving their affairs within the UK.
Last year, Ms Sturgeon tasked advisers with looking at the issue on an annual basis to see whether the risk could be mitigated.
Mr Mackay said the Scottish government needed to be "sufficiently assured" that raising the additional rate from 45p to 50p would not be a risk to Scottish tax revenues.
Ms Sturgeon told BBC Scotland, while campaigning in Inverness: "We fought the Scottish election last year on a manifesto that said we would not introduce a 50p top rate tax because we had been advised that we could lose money because of the potential for tax avoidance.
"Although the Scottish government controls income tax rates we don't control the rules over tax avoidance, so we thought that was a potentially damaging thing to do.
"We also said in our manifesto we would keep it under review. We are keeping it under review but have reached no conclusions on future years' policy."
However, she added that in the 2015 UK election she had argued there was no issue of cross-border tax avoidance between Scotland and the rest of the UK and that was still the case.
She said the SNP manifesto would be published in due course and would outline its position.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Murdo Fraser said: "There is a real risk that if you go down this road you end up raising less money.
"There are only 17,000 Additional Rate tax-payers in Scotland and yet they contribute something like 14% of total income tax revenues.
"It does not take very many of those individuals to decide to relocate, or reorder their affairs in order to avoid the additional tax, in order that you end up with less money as a result."
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: "This desperate attempt to win back voters who are deserting the SNP for its record of failure in office won't fool anyone.
"In 2015 Nicola Sturgeon supported a 50p top rate of income tax, then joined forces with the Tories to vote down such a proposal in the Scottish parliament.
"She says one thing before an election in an attempt to sound left-wing, but acts right when she actually has to make decisions in government."
Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: "The SNP are all over the place on tax.
"They said before they wouldn't put income tax up for the highest earners. Now they are saying they might well do it.
"You need certainty. That is why the Liberal Democrats are very clear we want a modest penny on income tax to have a Â£500m investment in education and mental health.
"That's the best way, not all this footering around with the SNP. It guarantees nothing. It just adds confusion."


Wales full-back Liam Williams could make his first Scarlets appearance of the season eight days before the Six Nations kicks off.

Williams suffered a foot injury during the 2015 World Cup defeat by Australia.
Scarlets backs coach Stephen Jones says it "would be awesome" if Williams returns in the Pro12 at Connacht on 30 January.
"But we're governed by the medical staff especially since it's an old injury," said Jones.
"He's got to be managed properly but that would be fantastic."
Wales are scheduled to name their Six Nations squad on Tuesday, 19 January and are likely to assess Williams' fitness before the announcement.
Former Wales fly-half Jones is yet to work with Williams as a coach despite having played alongside him.
"I'll be looking forward to getting him back on the paddock. His skills-set we know but [there's] his leadership skills as well," said Jones.
Scarlets remain top of the Pro12 and host third-placed Connacht on Sunday, 10 January, before visiting the Irish province later in the month.
Jones has been frustrated by injuries on his return to the region as a coach, with Liam and Scott Williams being joined in the treatment room by a host of others, particularly in the back row where open-sides John Barclay and James Davies are missing.
"It would be wonderful to get some guys back from injuries, but it's credit to the whole group how they've conducted themselves this year with a lot of youngsters having valuable game-time which puts us in a stronger position for next year- it's exciting," said the former Wasps player and assistant coach.
Wales international wing Harry Robinson is being assessed for a hamstring injury suffered in Llanelli's win over Cardiff at Premiership level.
Meanwhile, Scarlets still hope Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny will join them.
Halfpenny could remain at Toulon while Wasps and former team Cardiff Blues also keen to sign him.


League Two side Leyton Orient have sacked manager Alberto Cavasin following a run of eight defeats in 10 games in all competitions.

The 60-year-old Italian was only appointed by the O's, who are 22nd in the table, on 2 October.
Cavasin was the eighth man to take charge of Orient since the club were bought by Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti in the summer of 2014.
Assistant boss Andy Edwards has been put in charge to the end of the season.
Edwards, 45, had a two-game spell as caretaker manager earlier this season before Cavasin took over and he will be assisted by Danny Webb.
Cavasin had never managed in England before joining the O's and his appointment came five years after he left Sampdoria following their relegation from Italy's Serie A in 2011.
Orient were 17th in League Two when Cavasin was appointed but, after five defeats in seven league games, they are only above the relegation zone on goal difference.
After losing 1-0 to Exeter on Tuesday, the east London side became just the second club in Football League history to lose nine of their first 10 home league games in a season, matching Newport's run in 1970-71.
Cavasin also oversaw a 6-0 defeat at Sheffield United in the first round of the FA Cup, and two losses in the EFL Trophy.
Andy Edwards is the ninth different manager to take charge of Leyton Orient since Becchetti took over the club:


A Swiss man has been arrested in Frankfurt on suspicion of spying.

German federal prosecutors said the man was suspected of having worked "for the intelligence service of a foreign power" since early 2012.
Reports suggest the man may have spied on German tax investigators.
Tax authorities in Germany have controversially bought CDs of information from whistleblowers in Swiss banks as they try to catch German residents with Swiss bank accounts.
The issue has caused friction between the Swiss and German governments. Authorities in Germany's federal states have justified the hefty payments by saying the information gained would lead to much larger sums in unpaid taxes being retrieved.
But Switzerland thinks paying people who steal information from Swiss banks is wrong.
German football star's own goal on tax
The 54-year-old, named only as Daniel M, was taken into custody on Friday, prosecutors said, but an arrest warrant had been issued for him in December.
Several residential and business premises in Frankfurt and the nearby Wetterau region were searched by officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).


The government is expected to fall well short of its target of recovering £500m a year from overseas visitors treated in NHS hospitals in England.

The Department of Health has "refined" to £346m its target for 2017-18, says the National Audit Office. Some £289m was paid in 2015-16; £73m in 2012-13.
A new "surcharge" for non-EU patients accounts for much of the rise, but only about half of debts owed are recovered.
The Department of Health said the increase showed "very good progress".
NHS Trusts in England are legally obliged to check whether patients are eligible for free non-emergency NHS treatment and to recover any costs from overseas patients.
People from the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland, are usually covered by agreements such as the EHIC scheme - where their government is billed for their treatment - while those from outside the EEA are invoiced directly.
But the National Audit Office report estimated that only half of debts were recovered from patients from outside the EEA and found that only 58% of hospital doctors knew some people were chargeable for NHS healthcare at all.
The Department of Health's "ambitious" £500m recovery target was aimed at reducing NHS trusts' deficits, which reached £2.45bn in 2015-16.
That year, an extra £164m was raised from a new £200-a-year surcharge on visa applications paid by temporary migrants from outside the EEA.
That year also saw a 53% increase on the amount NHS trusts in England charged directly to patients, mostly to visitors from outside the EEA - much of which is thought to be due to new rules that allow hospitals to charge up to 150% of the cost of treatment, rather than a case of more people being charged.
And although amounts charged to people visiting from countries within the EEA increased slightly, they remain "well below" the ambition to recover £200m a year by 2017-18. The latest forecast for EEA income for that period is £72m.
The report found some hospitals were better than others at recovering money - 10 NHS trusts in London accounted for half of the total amount charged to non-EEA patients in 2015-16. Twenty trusts said they had no patients using the EHIC scheme.
It praised the Department of Health for using IT systems to help trusts find patients who should be charged and for visiting 60 trusts to promote its "cost recovery programme", and said new financial incentives for reporting and charging overseas visitors had had an effect.
But it estimated that "trusts recover around half of the amounts they charge directly to patients, mainly visitors from outside the EEA", with recovery rates varying widely - and it was not really understood why.
Head of the National Audit Office, Amyas Morse said: "Hospital trusts remain some way from complying in full with the requirement to charge and recover the cost of treating overseas visitors."
He said much of the increase in amounts charged and recovered over the past two years was due to changes to charging rules: "If current trends continue and the charging rules remain the same, the department will not achieve its ambition of recovering up to £500m of overseas visitor income a year by 2017-18."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "This government was the first to put in place measures to ensure the NHS isn't abused, and as this report finds, we are making very good progress - the amount of income recovered has already more than trebled in three years to £289m.
"We consulted earlier this year on extending the charging of migrants and visitors using the NHS to other areas of healthcare.
"We will set out further steps in due course to ensure we deliver on our objective to recover £500m a year by the middle of this parliament."


Two teenage sisters who went missing from Inverness have been found safe and well, police have confirmed.

Kamila Michalowicz, 15, had been reported missing on Monday and Natalia, 14, on Tuesday.
Police released a statement on social media, saying:
"Police in Inverness can confirm that Natalia and Kamila Michalowicz, aged 14 and 15, who were previously reported missing, have been traced safe and well in the Highlands area."


Mel Gibson, Natalie Portman and Tom Hanks are among the stars who were honoured at the Hollywood Film Awards.

Gibson won best director for World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge, a sign he has been accepted by the industry a decade after an infamous anti-Semitic rant.
Portman won best actress for Jackie, in which she portrays Jacqueline Kennedy after John F Kennedy's assassination.
The event styles itself as the start of the awards season, but is regarded with scepticism by some industry observers.
Winners were announced in advance with no nominations. Many of the winning films have not yet been released and an anonymous panel chooses the recipients.
But that did not stop an A-list crowd turning up to the ceremony, which was compered by TV host James Corden - although he did joke at one point that they were "fake awards".
The night was also peppered with references to Tuesday's US presidential election.
"Tonight is actually rigged," Corden told the audience at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, referring to Donald Trump's complaints about the election. "Literally, none of this is real."
He also joked that it was "the last awards show before the apocalypse".
Robert De Niro, who won the comedy award for the film The Comedian, compared Mr Trump to the "totally insane" General Jack D Ripper from Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove.
He said: "It's two days until a frightening election. The shadow of politics is hanging over us whether we like it or not.
"It's hard for me to think about anything else so let me lay it out right here. We have the opportunity to prevent a comedy from turning into a tragedy. Vote for Hillary Tuesday."
Tom Hanks won the best actor award for the film Sully, in which he played Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed a passenger plane on New York's Hudson River in 2009.
Nicole Kidman won the supporting actress award for Lion, while Hugh Grant was named best supporting actor for his role in Florence Foster Jenkins.
He was presented with the award by Andie MacDowell, his co-star in the 1994 film Four Weddings And A Funeral.
Addressing her on stage, Grant said: "I'm just depressed at how much better preserved you are than I am after 22 years. Do you use any special creams or anything like that?
"It's amazing. You're still a southern peach and I am, according to Twitter, a scrotum.
"I almost never get a prize and I'm so pleased with this one. It will not be in my loo or used as a doorstep."
British actress Naomie Harris received the breakout actress award for her work in Moonlight, while Lily Collins, the daughter of singer Phil, was given the New Hollywood award for Rules Don't Apply.
Awards season kicks off in earnest when the Golden Globe nominations are announced on 12 December, and will culminate with the Oscars on 27 February.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Two superb Scott Loach saves preserved a point for Notts County in a draw with League Two's bottom club Dagenham.

The keeper had little to do until he kept out Christian Doidge's looping header and then tipped Matt Richards' goal-bound free-kick onto the woodwork.
Earlier, the Magpies started well but Jon Stead was denied by a combination of Daggers goalkeeper Liam O'Brien and Joe Worrall after Jason Banton's cross.
The hosts' Adam Campbell also had an early shout for a penalty waved away.
Dagenham & Redbridge manager John Still told BBC Radio London:
"That was as good a performance as I think I've seen from a team I've had this season.
"I've seen us gradually improving. We haven't always been able to get up a head of steam, whereas today we were more controlled with the ball and had more purpose about our attacks.
"I was really, really pleased. I can't ask more from the players with a performance like that."


Almost exactly 10 years ago, Londoners saw the bleeding and the injured emerge from the Underground - survivors of the 7 July bomb attacks.

The four bombs on three Tubes and a bus killed 52 and left many more with life-changing injuries.
There was no longer any doubt, al-Qaeda's brand of violent extremism was capable of hitting the UK.
The tenth anniversary of those attacks is now a week away. So are we safer or under a greater threat?
The official government position, for headline purposes, is that there is a "severe" threat from international terrorism, which means security chiefs have concluded an attack is highly likely.
This conclusion is not an exercise of sticking a finger in the air and seeing which way the wind blows. It is based on some cold, hard calculations of what the intelligence picture suggests is going on, both what we can see in the public and what we can't.
And that is why London sees a major counter-terrorism exercise this week, codenamed Operation Strong Tower and designed to test to the limit how the police and other emergency services would respond should the worst come to pass.
Over the last decade, the nature of threat from extremist violence has changed.
The 7/7 attacks were directed at arms length by al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A number of other plots during the same period followed the same trajectory, including the foiled attempt to take liquid-based bombs onto transatlantic airliners in 2006.
But as the US tightened the noose around al-Qaeda's leadership, particularly after it began firing missiles from drones, the would-be jihadists briefly shifted attention to the Horn of Africa.
Deprived of an easy route to one hoped-for land of jihad, British recruits tried to get to Somalia to join al-Shabab. One of those would-be recruits was Michael Adebolajo, one of the two men who killed Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich.
Aside from that attack, the number of major plots had appeared to be falling as al-Qaeda increasingly looked a spent force and al-Shabab too weak and remote to take up its banner.
But the implosion of three countries in the wake of the Arab Spring has changed things yet again. First Libya, then Syria and Iraq. In the remains of each nation, the jihadist cause has found a new lease of life.
The group that calls itself Islamic State has projected a utopian image of a resurrected caliphate and, simultaneously, presented its sectarian ultra-violence as a solution to Sunni Muslims who have suffered in both Iraq and Syria.
That toxic revolutionary mix, projected by young followers through social media, and further wrapped up in an arcane prophesy that the "end times" will begin in a Syrian town, has been its trump card.
Sceptics say all of this poses no threat to us in the UK - but there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
If Tunisia's events were not clear enough, France, Australia, Canada and Belgium have all seen acts of extreme violence that were either directly or indirectly inspired by the ideology and aims of ISIS.
The UK has not suffered an act of ISIS-inspired violence on its streets - but there have been at least two major counter-terrorism operations which can be directly linked to conspirators receiving directions or guidance from jihadists active in the Syrian conflict.
More than 330 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences in the UK in the year to April 2015 - a third more than the previous year.
Crucially, the average age of those being arrested has been falling, with almost a fifth under 20.
In other words, given that the self-proclaimed caliphate isn't going away anytime soon, this is shaping up to be an enduring security problem.
While the jihadist threat persists, the UK also runs the risk of more violence from far-right extremists. One of the most serious acts of terrorism since 7/7 came from a neo-Nazi who tried to bomb three West Midlands mosques and murdered an elderly Muslim man as he returned home from prayers.
That is why London's massive counter-terrorism training exercise over Tuesday and Wednesday is important to the security services.
The emergency services believe they are in a far better place to deal with a repeat of 7/7 - their secure communications systems now all talk to each other, for a start.
But they don't know what's coming around the corner.
Operation Strong Tower, which is focused on a "marauding" attack, such as the shootings in Mumbai or Paris, is the latest and most complex event to date - and it won't be the last.


Plans for a multi-million pound regeneration of a former coal mining heartland in the south-west of Scotland have been unveiled.

The proposal would see investment of £3.3m in the Upper Nithsdale area of Dumfries and Galloway over five years.
Projects to tackle unemployment, population decline, and transport problems are among those outlined in the regeneration plan.
It was drawn up after a two-day consultation with local residents.
The strategy would focus on improving towns and villages in the region, including Sanquar, Kirkonnel and Kelloholm, and Wanlockhead.
Dumfries and Galloway Council has agreed to allocate funds of £750,000 to regenerate the area over two financial years from 2014-17.
A report to councillors on the Nithsdale Area Committee has proposed using the initial funding allocation to prioritise four projects.
They include:
The report said the wider plan could create up to 30 additional jobs in the region - equal to a 2.3% increase in the current employment base of about 1,300 jobs.
It added: "Furthermore, public investment in town centres has the potential to attract further private sector investment to sites and properties - improving the value of local assets - as well as generating growth in footfall and turnover and an overall increase in the economic performance of town centre economies."


Arsenal must forget about their Premier League defeat at Manchester United and put their title challenge back on track against Swansea on Wednesday, says manager Arsene Wenger.

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The Gunners remain third, five points adrift of leaders Leicester, after Sunday's 3-2 loss at Old Trafford.
"We cannot feel sorry for ourselves," said Wenger, whose side host the 16th-placed Swans at Emirates Stadium.
"We dropped important points but we have to show we're up for the fight."
Analysis: 'Why Arsenal fell short, again' - Ian Wright
Arsenal are also three points behind second-placed Tottenham, who came back to win 2-1 against Swansea on Sunday, with nine matches left.
Wenger added: "Mathematically, what this defeat means, we will only know at the end of the season."
Arsenal, who have not won the Premier League title since 2004, lost further ground in this year's race after United teenager Marcus Rashford inspired the home win.
But Wenger refused to accept that an under-strength Old Trafford side should have been an easy scalp for his men.
The Red Devils were missing several key players, including captain Wayne Rooney, but still fielded big-money signings such as Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin and Juan Mata.
"Let's not go overboard - they still had a few millions on the pitch today, from De Gea to the whole of the midfield," said Wenger.
"They spent a lot of money on [Memphis] Depay - you cannot call him a player from the academy."
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Support groups are calling for an action plan to "radically" improve mental health services for children and young people in the NHS Lothian area.

Scottish Children's Services Coalition made the call after "disappointing" waiting times for appointments were revealed in the region.
Figures show in the Lothians 15% of children had to wait more than a year.
Less than half of the 665 children referred were seen within the target of 18-weeks.
Two years ago the Scottish government set a target for Mental Health services that 90% young people should be seen within 18 weeks.
The figures for treatment from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) relate to the period between October and December 2016.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Children's Services Coalition, a network of support groups,  said: "The figures from NHS Lothian indicating that more than half of those who started their treatment between October and December had been waiting more than the Scottish government target of 18 weeks is clearly disappointing.
"In addition, of the 101 children and young people in Scotland who had been waiting for more than a year before they started treatment, these almost all relate to NHS Lothian.
"We know that half of all diagnosable mental health problems start before the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 21.
"As such it is vitally important that an action plan is put in place for NHS Lothian, radically improving mental health services and increasing investment in these, with an overall aim of ensuring that children and young people get the help they need, when they need it.
"A target of 18-weeks is in itself still far too long.
"Families usually experience months of waiting even before a referral to CAMHS.
"The consequent delay in diagnosis and appropriate support can lead to a crisis situation for the child or young person concerned, as well as for their family, and the need for costly extra resources to address this.
"We hope that NHS Lothian takes account of these figures and takes urgent action to address this matter."
Alex McMahon, NHS Lothian's executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, said: "More young people than ever before are accessing mental health services and we have seen a steady rise in the number of children and young people being referred to our services.
"Unfortunately patients are having to wait longer than we would like and we are working hard to reduce this number.
"We have  invested significantly in CAMHS over the years to support the delivery of expert services for children. We are confident they will be strengthened through integration of education, social and health services.
"Our CAMHS team is working on an agreed action plan to reduce the length of time children and young people are waiting and we have approximately 200 less children and young people waiting more than 18 weeks as a result and are confident we will see further significant reductions in waiting times over the coming months."


Police have appealed for help to trace a 16-year-old girl who has gone missing.

Natasha Allen, 16, of Methven, Perth and Kinross, was last seen by her family at about 19:30 on Thursday.
She is 5ft 2in, of slim build, with long, brown hair with blonde roots and has a nose ring.
She was wearing a navy Fred Perry tracksuit top, white stonewashed jeans and turquoise trainers when she was last seen.
Anyone with information should contact police.


Midfielder Joe Ledley believes the Football Association of Wales will make the ''right decision'' on how best to mark Armistice Day in the World Cup qualifier against Serbia.

FAW officials have yet to decide how to commemorate the occasion after Fifa could not guarantee that there would not be disciplinary proceedings if a poppy was displayed.
England and Scotland will defy Fifa's ban on players wearing poppies in their meeting on Friday.
With the FAW yet decide their policy, Ledley said: ''We will support whatever decision they make.''
Fifa's regulations say players' equipment should not carry any commercial, personal, political or religious messages.
When the issue arose in 2011, a compromise was reached in which Wales players were allowed to wear armbands with the poppy symbol in a friendly against Norway.
Northern Ireland will mark Armistice Day by wearing plain black armbands in the World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in Belfast.
The Irish FA had requested permission from Fifa to wear a poppy on the shirt or armband.
Breaching Fifa regulations could result in a fine or even a loss of points and the FAW are set to leave a decision until as late as possible.
They have already planned a two minute silence during training on Armistice Day's on Friday and there will also be a tribute at the game regardless of whether poppies are worn.
Crystal Palace's Ledley said Wales' players are content to leave the decision over poppies to the Football Association of Wales.
''It is obviously out of our hands. It is dealt with by the FA of Wales," Ledley added.
"It is down to them too take the decision. We will support whatever decision they make.
''As players our job is just to concentrate on the game, I am sure the FAW will make the right decision.''


Prime Minister Manuel Valls says the French justice system has failed in connection with the killing of a priest in a church in Normandy on Tuesday.

In a newspaper interview, he criticised the fact that one of the two attackers had been released with an electronic tag pending trial on terror charges.
He said the release had been decided by independent judges, not his government.
Mr Valls has faced criticism over the attack near Rouen, and the killing of 84 people by another jihadist in Nice.
Adel Kermiche, one of the two teenagers who attacked the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on Tuesday, had been arrested after being caught trying to go to Syria last year.
However he was released with a monitoring tag earlier this year, despite prosecutors' call for his continued detention.
In an interview with Le Monde newspaper published on Friday, Mr Valls called the release a "failure" that must be acknowledged.
He added: "This does not mean that my government is to blame, because that decision was taken by independent judges."
Kermiche and the other attacker, Abdel Malik Petitjean, were shot dead by police outside the church, where they had slit the throat of Fr Jacques Hamel, 86, and taken hostages during Mass.
Petitjean had been on a watch list as a potential security threat since June after trying to enter Syria from Turkey.
After the attack, so-called Islamic State released a video showing the two men pledging allegiance to the group. In another video that emerged on Thursday, Petitjean called for more attacks against states involved in the anti-IS coalition.
What we know about church attack
Profile: Abdel Malik Petitjean
Kermiche 'was brainwashed'
How France is wrestling with jihadist terror
What drives individuals to commit mass killings?
Three people have been questioned by police in connection with the church attack. Two have been released and the third, said to be a Syrian man living in a refugee centre, remains in custody.
The French government has faced strong criticism from political opponents over perceived security failings since the attack in Nice.
It was carried out by a Tunisian man, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who drove a lorry into a crowd at the end of the Bastille Day celebrations.
In his interview, Mr Valls called for a "revolution in our security culture" in view of the jihadist threat.
"Each French person must contribute to collective security," he said. "An era of innocence has come to an end."


Landowners have reacted angrily to claims the persecution of birds of prey on Scotland's grouse moors has returned to levels last seen in the Victorian era.

The allegation was made by Duncan Orr Ewing, one of the most senior figures at RSPB Scotland.
The landowners' organisation, Scottish Land and Estates, said the RSPB was increasingly resorting to "wild and misleading accusations".
Mr Orr Ewing has defended his claims.
Douglas McAdam, the chief executive of Scottish Land and Estates, told BBC Scotland News: "For Mr Orr Ewing to suggest that wildlife crime is returning to Victorian levels is both irresponsible and untrue. He ought to know better.
"Official statistics in recent years have seen, overall, a downward trend in raptor persecution - even at some points demonstrating record low levels of poisoning incidents.
"It is very disappointing that the RSPB, with whom we would like to work constructively, stoop to making such wild and misleading accusations."
Mr Orr Ewing is head of species and land management at RSPB Scotland.
Responding to the criticism, he said: "We have seen major intensification of management practices on many grouse moors in the central and eastern Highlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland.
"This moorland management places emphasis on increasing the numbers of gamekeepers, to undertake high levels of predator control, more frequent and extensive heather burning, veterinary medication of red grouse, and the killing of mountain hares and deer, ostensibly to prevent tick-borne grouse diseases.
"It would be far more appropriate to describe this activity as 'grouse farming', with monocultures of heather habitat producing unnaturally high grouse shooting bags.
"Indeed, we do not believe that is possible, whilst continuing to operate within the bounds of the law."
Dr Adam Smith, director of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust in Scotland, has also questioned the RSPB's claims.
He said: "In the early Victorian period there were very few birds of prey left in Scotland and that is certainly not the situation today.
"For example, the data we do have from the Victorian era suggests very clearly that the hen harrier had been driven back to Orkney and the Outer Hebrides. It was not found anywhere on estates in the Scottish mainland up to at least the 1930s.
"Today, we are pleased there are more than 400 breeding pairs in Scotland.
"For a variety of reasons they may not be distributed right across the habitats which are suitable for them, but their national recovery is clear, so I find the RSPB's suggestion very difficult to sustain.
"Neither do the numbers of grouse being shot stand up to scrutiny as being at Victorian levels.
"Our records going back to the 1900s show how the numbers of birds shot per unit area have fallen by over half, never fully recovering from the sharp decline during the second war."
Prof Des Thompson, principal adviser on biodiversity at Scottish Natural Heritage, said: "We understand Duncan Orr-Ewing's concerns; however, we feel changes need to be supported by hard evidence.
"There is now much more forest cover for predators such as crows and foxes, which means that levels of predator control are very high on some moors managed for grouse.
"These and related matters will be examined by a newly-formed SNH group. We will use the evidence gathered by the group to inform the Scottish government's Land Use Strategy and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and as a contribution to the work of the Moorland Forum.
"If people suspect any illegal persecution of raptors or other wildlife associated with any moorland management, we urge them to contact Police Scotland.  We must do our best to stamp out wildlife crime."


Ballymena United held third-placed Glenavon to a draw at Mourneview Park on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten under manager David Jeffrey.

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Ballymena took the lead in the 31st minute  when defender Johnny Taylor netted from close-range when Tony Kane's ball fell in the goalmouth.
Home skipper Ciaran Martyn equalised from just a few yards out after Dave Elebert had headed down a corner.
Glenavon stay in third but Cliftonville are now just two points behind them.
The Lurgan side go to Cliftonville on Saturday and will have striker Eoin Bradley back after a six-match suspension.
Since former Linfield boss Jeffrey took over, Ballymena have had one win and three draws.
Ballymena manager David Jeffrey: "A draw was probably a fair result.
"Glenavon started very brightly and we needed a little bit of fortune and had to defend well.
"We played our way into the game and got that goal. Glenavon came out all guns blazing in the second half and scored their equaliser.
"Our players put in a lot of effort and there were some tired legs out there."
Glenavon manager Gary Hamilton: "I am disappointed the players did not get the win which their efforts deserved.
"We started brightly and I felt if we did not get a goal while dominating so much we might live to regret it.
"But you have to give credit to the other team. They battled really well."


It has been five years since a major earthquake hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch, but thousands of residents are still waiting for their homes to be repaired or rebuilt.

Several residents have told BBC News that they are "in limbo" and face increasing financial problems after years of delays and disputes about insurance claims.
The insurance industry says a series of aftershocks, and difficulty in working with the government's earthquake agency, has slowed it down.
A magnitude 6.3 quake struck directly under Christchurch at 12:51 on 22 February 2011, killing 185 people and destroying or damaging around 170,000 buildings.
Tom Davies and his wife had to move out of their house in Christchurch's Mt Pleasant suburb when it was declared unsafe two years ago.
"We have cracks you can crawl through, roof leaks, a spring running through the basement, walls leaning downhill, asbestos and electrics that pose a risk of fire or electrocution," he says.
Mr Davies says that five years after the earthquake little progress has been made in settling the insurance claim.
New Zealand has a two-tier insurance system that deals with natural disasters.
The Earthquake Commission (EQC), a government agency, covers damages to residential homes of up to NZ$100,000 (Â£46,000; $66,000).
More expensive repairs and rebuilds are handled by people's private insurance companies.
The Davies family's claim was handed to its insurance company in February 2014.
"Five years on, we are no further forward," Mr Davies says.
An independent surveyor has estimated the damage to the house at NZ$800,000.
In the meantime, Mr Davies and his wife have bought another house to live in temporarily, but they are still paying for the mortgage, rates and insurance on their damaged property.
"Financially, we are prisoners because we are tied to that house. We can't walk away from a house that is our life's investment, that is our home and our future," he says.
"Two years of paying two mortgages, insurances and sets of rates is simply crippling."
According to figures provided by the insurance industry, around 4,600 insurance claims have not been settled yet.
Shona Senior still lives in her timber-framed house in Christchurch, even though the property was severely damaged in an earlier tremor in 2010 as well as the February 2011 quake.
"We cannot use one living room and one bedroom for much of the year because of big holes in the outside of the house," she says.
"Damp is permeating the house and our home, which was once in beautiful condition, is now rotting."
Shona owns two damaged properties and says she was forced to accept an under-value settlement for her other house because of the continuing dispute.
"We settled for less than our entitlement because of the financial stress of maintaining two houses and having to pay thousands of dollars for our own expert reports," she explains.
Almost nine out of 10 claims relating to private properties have been settled, says the Insurance Council New Zealand (ICNZ), an industry body representing the country's insurers.
"I said three years ago that we will have the vast majority of claims settled by the end of this year and we are well on track for that," says ICNZ chief executive Tim Grafton.
But he says a small number of claims either newly-transferred from the EQC or slowed down by court cases will drag over to 2017.
"We continue to have hundreds of properties transferred across to us from the EQC," he explains.
"That explains why some properties have not been processed."
Jeremy Prendeville's house stands in one of the worst-hit areas of New Zealand's second-biggest city.
His neighbourhood was "red zoned" after the quake, meaning it was considered unlikely houses could be rebuilt there.
He says he developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of his uncertainty about reaching adequate settlement.
"This house was my stepping stone. I was a young man building my life towards retirement," he says.
"Now I still can't be sure if this will leave me better or worse off."
Thousands of people took part in a rally in central Christchurch on Sunday to highlight the continuing insurance disputes.
Megan Woods, earthquake recovery spokeswoman for New Zealand's opposition Labour party, was one of the speakers at the event.
She says recovery efforts after the Christchurch quake were slower than after comparable natural disasters in Chile and Japan, particularly in repairing and rebuilding residences.
"Not being able to get settled has taken a toll on people. It has been very messy for them to deal with both the ECQ and private insurers," she told BBC News.
"We think the government should have taken a much more active role and not allow private insurers to do what they want."


Northern Ireland Water has said it will freeze charges for the vast majority of its 80,000 business customers this year.

The company said the move was testament to their "continued efficiency".
However, about 500 non-domestic customers will see a 2.8% rise in trade effluent charges from April.
The news comes after water charges rose by 2.4% last year due to a big increase in Northern Ireland Water's own rates bill.
Northern Ireland Water reviews its tariffs for water and sewerage services annually and agrees them with the Utility Regulator.
Businesses and farms pay bills, with the majority, around 70,000, being metered for their water use and sewerage services.
The company's finance director Ronan Larkin said the upcoming freeze in prices was "excellent news for local businesses who continue to trade in difficult circumstances".


The conflict in Syria has drawn in major global powers, supporting and opposing President Bashar al-Assad and the myriad rebel groups ranged against him.

On 30 October, world powers meeting in Vienna agreed to a nine-point plan they hope will pave the way for a ceasefire in Syria - but they remain divided on what happens to President Assad.
Here is a guide to where the key countries stand:
Russia is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most important international backers and the survival of the regime is critical to maintaining Russian interests in the country.
It has blocked resolutions critical of President Assad at the UN Security Council and has continued to supply weapons to the Syrian military despite international criticism.
Moscow wants to protect a key naval facility which it leases at the Syrian port of Tartous, which serves as Russia's sole Mediterranean base for its Black Sea fleet, and has forces at an air base in Latakia, President Assad's Shia Alawite heartland.
In September 2015 Russia began launching air strikes against rebels, saying the so-called Islamic State (IS) and "all terrorists" were targets. However, Western-backed groups were reported to have been hit.
President Vladimir Putin has though said that only a political solution can end the conflict.
The US has accused President Assad of responsibility for widespread atrocities and says he must go. But it agrees on the need for a negotiated settlement to end the war and the formation of a transitional administration.
The US supports Syria's main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, and provides limited military assistance to "moderate" rebels.
Since September 2014, the US has been conducting air strikes on IS and other jihadist groups in Syria as part of an international coalition against the jihadist group. But it has avoided attacks that might benefit Mr Assad's forces or intervening in battles between them and the rebels.
A programme to train and arm 5,000 Syrian rebels to take the fight to IS on the ground has suffered embarrassing setbacks, with few having even reached the frontline.
The Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom says President Assad cannot be part of a solution to the conflict and must hand over power to a transitional administration or be removed by force.
Riyadh is a major provider of military and financial assistance to several rebel groups, including those with Islamist ideologies, and has called for a no-fly zone to be imposed to protect civilians from bombardment by Syrian government forces.
Saudi leaders were angered by the Obama administration's decision not to intervene militarily in Syria after a 2013 chemical attack blamed on Mr Assad's forces.
They later agreed to take part in the US-led coalition air campaign against IS, concerned by the group's advances and its popularity among a minority of Saudis.
The Turkish government has been a staunch critic of Mr Assad since the start of the uprising in Syria.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said it was impossible for Syrians to "accept a dictator who has led to the deaths of up to 350,000 people".
Turkey is a key supporter of the Syrian opposition and has faced the burden of hosting almost two million refugees. But its policy of allowing rebel fighters, arms shipments and refugees to pass through its territory has been exploited by foreign jihadists wanting to join IS.
Turkey agreed to let the US-led coalition against IS to use its air bases for strikes on Syria after an IS bomb attack in July 2015.
They have though been critical of coalition support for the Syrian Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) - an affiliate of the banned Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) deemed a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the US.
Regional Shia power Iran is believed to be spending billions of dollars a year to prop up President Assad and his Alawite-dominated government, providing military advisers and subsidised weapons, as well as lines of credit and oil transfers.
Mr Assad is Iran's closest Arab ally and Syria is the main transit point for Iranian weapons shipments to the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah.
Iran is also believed to have been influential in Hezbollah's decision to send fighters to western Syria to assist pro-Assad forces.
Militiamen from Iran and Iraq who say they are protecting Shia holy sites are also fighting alongside Syrian troops.
Iran has proposed a peaceful transition in Syria that would culminate in free, multi-party elections. It was involved in peace talks over Syria's future for the first time when world powers met in Vienna.


The BBC must put "distinctive content" at its heart, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has said.

It is part of a major overhaul of how the BBC is run, which has been unveiled by the government.
The licence fee will continue for at least 11 years and will be linked to inflation - and viewers will need to pay it to use BBC iPlayer.
Mr Whittingdale made clear he was "emphatically not saying the BBC should not be popular".
The culture secretary was referring to earlier speculation that the corporation would not be allowed to schedule popular programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing in prime slots.
BBC charter: Key points at a glance:
Q&A: What is the BBC White Paper?
"Commissioning editors should ask consistently of new programming: 'Is this idea sufficiently innovative and high quality?' rather than simply 'How will it do in the ratings?'"
He also said the BBC will be "required to give greater focus to under-served audiences, in particular those from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, and those in the nations and regions".
"We want the BBC to be the leading broadcaster in promoting diversity," he said.
Responding to Mr Whittingdale's statement, Maria Eagle, the shadow culture secretary, said: "We know the secretary of state is extremely hostile to the BBC. He wants it diminished in size."
She said the culture secretary's views were "totally out of step with the licence fee-payers who value and support the BBC".
Ms Eagle said she did "not agree that [Mr Whittingdale's] obsession with distinctiveness should be imported into the BBC's mission statement."
The White Paper states that the trust governing the BBC is being abolished and a board will be set up to run day-to-day matters, while Ofcom will become the corporation's external regulator.
The licence fee, which has been frozen at £145.50 since 2010, will now rise with inflation from next year.
Also announced was a requirement for all employees and freelancers who earn more than £450,000 to be named.
The move will affect some of the corporation's best-known names, such as Chris Evans, Gary Lineker and Graham Norton, although their actual salaries will not be revealed.
But a senior figure at the corporation cautioned against cutting the salaries of the highest-paid too much.
James Purnell, director of strategy and digital at the BBC, said "We pay less than the private sector already but we need to make sure that we don't go so low that we can't get brilliant people like Chris Evans to work for us."
He added the corporation had already cut its talent bill by 15%, adding: "It's been independently reviewed and been given a good bill of health.
"Clearly we need to get the balance between getting the right people to work for the BBC but also paying less than the private sector."
The culture secretary said he recognised the future of the licence fee was in doubt and urged the BBC to explore new subscription services beyond what it already offers.
He said: Although the licence fee remains the best way of funding the BBC for this charter period, it is likely to become less sustainable as the media landscape continues to evolve.
"The Government therefore welcomes the BBC's intention to explore whether additional revenue could be raised at home or abroad from additional subscription services, sitting alongside the core universal fee.
The licence fee will rise in line with inflation from next year, and will now also have to be paid by people who only consume BBC content online.
Previously, there was a loophole that allowed viewers to watch BBC content via the iPlayer without paying the licence fee.
That is because the fee only had to be paid by people who were viewing television live as it was being broadcast.
The changes will not affect people who currently pay the licence fee - they will continue to be able to access the iPlayer without any extra charges.
The BBC Trust will be abolished and Ofcom will be the external independent regulator of the BBC, Mr Whittingdale confirmed.
In addition, a new "unitary board" will be established, which will consist of 12-14 members. The BBC will appoint at least half of them.
Commenting on its new role as regulator of the BBC, Ofcom said: "We are confident that, with the right resources and planning, we can undertake our new responsibilities effectively and independently."
The White Paper will be debated by MPs in the autumn before the new charter is drafted and signed for the next 11 years.
The BBC's current Royal Charter - the agreement which sets the broadcaster's rules and purpose - expires at the end of December.
For an exercise billed as a far-reaching reform, what's striking about the white paper is how little will change fundamentally.
The licence fee remains, indexed to inflation rather than frozen as it has been for the past five years. It'll still be a criminal offence not to pay it, and it'll be extended to cover the growing numbers of people who watch the BBC's iPlayer catch-up service rather than live television broadcasts.
The proposal to abolish the BBC Trust and make Ofcom the corporation's regulator is largely uncontroversial - but where the BBC and the culture secretary are at odds is over the appointment by government of some members of the new BBC board.
The corporation thinks that represents a potential threat to its independence and the director-general Tony Hall said government and the BBC had "an honest difference" on the question.
The Shadow Culture Secretary, Maria Eagle, said most of what she called John Whittingdale's wilder proposals had been watered down or dumped and that he'd been overruled by the prime minister and chancellor.
If he was, that was perhaps to avoid a political row which might divide conservatives in the run up to the EU referendum.
More from Nick
Responding to the White Paper, BBC director-general Tony Hall said it "delivers a mandate for the strong, creative BBC the public believe in.
"At the end, we have an 11-year charter, a licence fee guaranteed for 11 years, and an endorsement of the scale and scope of what the BBC does today," he said.
But he added there were some areas where the BBC will continue to talk to the government to address remaining issues, including allowing the National Audit Office to be the BBC's auditor and how the new board is appointed.
He said: "We have an honest disagreement with the government on this. I do not believe that the appointments proposals for the new unitary board are yet right.
"We will continue to make the case to government. It is vital for the future of the BBC that its independence is fully preserved."


A retired home tutor has been found not guilty of indecently assaulting a 13-year-old pupil in the 1990s.

Carolyn Keeling, now 64, was accused of having sex with the boy who is now 34 and cannot be named for legal reasons.
Mrs Keeling, of Taynton near Gloucester, had denied six counts of indecent assault.
The mother-of-two, who had an unblemished career, was accused of having sex with the boy on at least 100 occasions between 1993 and 1996.
A jury took three hours to find Mrs Keeling not guilty at Gloucester Crown Court.
Speaking after she was cleared, she said she was very grateful to the National Union of Teachers for backing her financially and her ex-colleagues, friends and family.
"These two years, two months and however many days have been very stressful and now I have a life that I can lead," she said.
"It is with you every minute of every day and it just never goes away."
Mrs Keeling added it is important young people feel they will be listened to if they reported alleged abuse to the authorities.
"But there must be a way of doing more research as if the police had done this they would have known that I hadn't done it."
The boy, who is now a father of three and battling a heroin addiction, made the allegations to his mother in 2012 after reading of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
He later reported it to police in April 2013 and an investigation started.
Mrs Keeling told detectives of her shock at what the boy was saying.
"He was just a nice lad. (I am) gobsmacked that he would do this. This is my worst nightmare," she said.
Mrs Keeling rejected claims that she had smoked cannabis and drank wine while teaching him, and insisted she had not slept with him.
She said she took the boy out on trips to Gloucester city centre, to the countryside and horse riding, and accepted she had not stopped him smoking cannabis at his home.
In a statement Gloucestershire Police said the evidence was put before the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) "who deemed it appropriate to bring charges and prosecute Carolyn Keeling".
"The trial was thorough and fair and Gloucestershire Constabulary respect the decision of the jury. We would always encourage anyone who has been the victim of historic sexual abuse to come forward," a spokesman said.


A Saudi prince has been jailed for life for murdering his servant at a hotel in central London.

Bandar Abdulaziz, 32, was found beaten and strangled in the Landmark Hotel, Marylebone, on 15 February 2010.
The Old Bailey was told the assault by Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud had a "sexual element" and he had attacked Mr Abdulaziz many times before.
Al Saud, 34, who had admitted manslaughter but denied murder, was given a minimum jail term of 20 years.
The Saudi prince was also found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to an earlier attack in a hotel lift, a charge which he had denied.
The murder of Mr Abdulaziz was the final act in a "deeply abusive" master-servant relationship in which Al Saud carried out frequent attacks on his aide "for his own personal gratification".
Judge Mr Justice Bean said: "You were in a position of authority and trust over him which you exploited ruthlessly.
"I think the most likely explanation is that you could not care less whether you killed him or not."
He continued: "It is very unusual for a prince to be in the dock on a murder charge.
"It would be wrong for me to sentence you either more severely or more leniently because of your membership of the Saudi royal family."
The 34-year-old was fuelled by champagne and cocktails when he bit his servant hard on both cheeks during the attack on 15 February, the court heard.
Jurors heard that Mr Abdulaziz was left so worn down and injured - having suffered a "cauliflower" ear and a swollen eye from previous assaults - that he let Al Saud kill him without a fight.
A gay masseur who visited him there described the "dashing" Al Saud as a cross between Omar Sharif and Nigel Havers.
The prince initially wrongly believed he had diplomatic immunity and his royal status would save him.
But he stood with his arms folded and showed no emotion as the judge told him he must serve 19 years, having already spent one on remand.
Mr Justice Bean added: "No-one in this country is above the law."
If the prince ever returns to Saudi Arabia he faces the possibility of execution, because being gay is a capital offence in that country.
He could seek asylum in Britain after his eventual release.


Ireland wing Keith Earls will miss the Test against New Zealand on 5 November after being suspended for two weeks following his red card on Saturday.

Earls was dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Fraser Brown playing for Munster against Glasgow Warriors in the European Champions Cup.
A "timely" guilty plea and expression of remorse helped in an initial four-week ban being reduced by half.
Earls is also suspended for Munster's Pro12 match against Ulster on Friday.
Referee Jerome Garces dismissed Earls 19 minutes into the Pool 1 game at Thomond Park.
The game in Limerick was Munster's first since the death of head coach Anthony Foley in Paris.
Earls was cited under the law for "lifting a player from the ground and either dropping or driving that player's head and/or upper body into the ground while the player's feet are off the ground".
An independent disciplinary committee found that the offence was at the low end of World Rugby's sanctions and selected four weeks as the appropriate entry point for a suspension.
"As there were no aggravating factors, the committee then reduced the sanction by a maximum of two weeks due to Earls' timely guilty plea, expression of remorse and clean disciplinary record before imposing a suspension of two weeks," the committee said.
Ireland take on the All Blacks in Chicago and Earls, who has the right to appeal the decision, will be available for the Test against Canada on 12 November in Dublin.


A gnome, a photograph of the Royal Family set on a decorative ostrich egg, and golf clubs were among gifts received by the Royal Family in 2013.

The Queen received more than 70 presents from foreign dignitaries, charities and private individuals.
A member of the Sri Lankan parliament presented a portrait of the Queen burned on to a tree trunk.
Regulations state that official gifts are not the property of the royal recipient but may be used by them.
The rules surrounding gifts to the Royal Family call for extravagant gifts to be "discouraged" and can be refused if they are inappropriate or "appear to place the member of the Royal Family under any obligation to the donor".
Official gifts are defined as being any object received on an official engagement, and only items with a value of less than Â£150, given by a person or organisation privately known by the royal, can be considered a personal present.
Princess Anne received some unusual-sounding official gifts, including a plastic stand-up angel, a garden gnome and a book titled Your Arms Remind Me of Pork Luncheon Meat.
Gifts to the Duke of York took a culinary theme, with a chocolate hamper, Turkish sweets, champagne, tea, a gingerbread cathedral, a box of mangoes, macaroons and a chocolate bear presented to him.
Recipients of such perishable items who choose or are unable to consume them themselves are instructed by the official gift rules to pass them on to charities to avoid waste.
Ties were a popular present for the male royals - with the Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of York, Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent all receiving additions to their wardrobes.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall received their official gifts while on overseas tours to India and Sri Lanka, and the Gulf states.
Prince Charles lists ceremonial necklaces, several chests of teas, a number of decorative elephants, Arabic coffee sets and bottle of perfume as items received on the trips.
Apart from the colourful art and exotic objects the Queen received from foreign dignitaries, she also received some unusual novelty items on engagements in the UK.
On a visit to Baker Street station to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground, the Queen was given a commemorative Oyster Card.
And an artillery cartridge that was fired as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations was mounted on a plinth and offered to the Queen on a visit to the barracks of the the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
The Queen also received gifts from the BBC, including framed copies of the Radio Times to commemorate her 60 years on the throne, and a radio alarm clock.
The details of the items and donors were revealed in lists of official gifts to members of the Royal Family released by Buckingham Palace and Clarence House.


Portaferry athlete Ciara Mageean landed the 3,000m title at the Irish Indoor Championships in Dublin on Saturday.

Running the day after the death of her grandmother, Mageean, 24, held off Fionnuala McCormack and Olympic steeplechaser Michelle Finn for gold.
"The 1500m at the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade are my focus" said Mageean suffering from a cold.
"That's what I am looking forward to - getting over there and running good and fast."
Mageean clocked 9:08.83 to win in the new National Indoor Arena , four seconds clear of silver medallist Finn with McCormack taking bronze seven seconds behind Mageean.
"The time is not overly fast," added Mageean.
"I was nervous going into the race because it was a very good field with all the girls there.
"Fionnuala and Michelle are good hard competitors, especially over 3,000 metres. I am happy to come away with the win and the title.
"It's a good confidence boost and I still have a good two hard weeks in the lead up to Belgrade, so I will be focused on being healthy and getting rid of this head cold."
Elsewhere, Letterkenny's Brendan Boyce took bronze in the 5,000m walk in 20:09.28 as Alex Wright broke Rob Heffernan's national record in 18:50.70.
Finn Valley's Summer Lecky took the high jump gold with a best of 1.81m, while Peter Glass, formerly of North Down, took pole vault silver with a best of 4.45 metres.


Royal Dutch Shell says it has agreed to buy oil and gas exploration firm BG Group in a deal that values the business at £47bn.

The two firms say they have reached agreement on a cash and shares offer which gives investors a 50% premium on BG Group's share price on 7 April.
The deal could be one of the biggest of 2015 and could produce a company with a value of more than £200bn ($296bn).
BG Group's shares opened up 42% on the London Stock Exchange at 1,293.5p.
Shell's £177bn market capitalisation dwarfs that of BG, which now stands at £31bn after a 20% fall in its share price over the past year.
BG Group is the UK's third largest energy company, and currently employs about 5,200 people in 24 countries.
It was created in 1997 when British Gas demerged into two separate companies: BG and Centrica.
BG took control of exploration and production while Centrica took charge of the UK retail business of the former British Gas.
In 2000, BG split into BG Group and Lattice Group.
Shell said BG Group shareholders would enjoy higher dividends, as it confirmed its intention to pay its existing shareholders $1.88 per ordinary share this year.
That compares with a dividend of just $0.14 that BG Group shareholders can expect to receive this year.
The oil giant also said it expected to commence a share buyback programme in 2017 of at least $25bn.
Shell said it would also provide BG Group shareholders with a "mix and match facility", allowing them to vary how much they receive in cash and new Shell shares.
Shell and BG Group expect to make annual savings of $2.5bn following the deal.
But Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said he remained committed to North Sea oil and expected to invest £4bn between 2016 and 2018.
Shell said the deal would also add 25% to its proven oil and gas reserves and 20% to production capacity, particularly in Australia's liquid natural gas (LNG) market and in deep water oil exploration off the Brazilian coast.
BG Group shareholders will own approximately 19% of the combined group following the deal.
The deal comes at a time of uncertainty for oil and gas companies. In the past six months the price of oil has fallen by about 50%. Meanwhile, analysts have warned that investment in North Sea oil exploration has all but dried up, threatening the entire industry.
Last month, the Chancellor, George Osborne, lowered the supplementary corporation tax levied against oil companies that operate in the North Sea.
BG Group warned in February that it would write down the value of its oil and gas assets by nearly £6bn ($9bn) due to the oil price slump.
Similarly, Shell announced in January that it would be cutting spending by nearly £10bn over the next three years.
As it announced the takeover bid, Shell said it expected to make asset sales totalling $30bn between 2016 and 2018, although it did not specify which assets it was reviewing for sale.
Asked about potential job losses in the North Sea, Shell and BG Group said they expected there to be "global synergies", while adding that if the deal had not happened, they might both have had to make job cuts.
Current BG Group chief executive Helge Lund, who took up the post last month, will remain with BG Group while the deal goes through, but is expected to leave once it is completed.
BG Group chairman Andrew Gould said the BG board remained confident in the energy firm's long-term prospects under Mr Lund, but that Shell's offer "allows us to accelerate and de-risk the delivery of this value".
Even so, the payout that Mr Lund is likely to receive, alongside the boost he will receive to his income from his BG Group shareholdings, could raise eyebrows.
In December, BG's board revised Mr Lund's proposed £12m upfront shares bonus, after shareholders and the Institute of Directors complained.
Analysts gave a mixed reaction to news of the deal. Investec analyst Neil Morton said a tie-up had "been mooted for about 20 years".
He added: "BG investors receive what we see as a compelling offer. For Shell shareholders, we are less convinced of the merits.
"The deal is predicated on a strong recovery in oil prices ($90 per barrel from 2018), while we suspect that Shell is pouncing on BG's imminent free cash flow to protect its burdensome dividend payout."
Christian Stadler associate professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School said BG would fit well with Shell's portfolio.
"Shell has a very good track record in offshore oil and gas fields, and BG will help them solidify this area," he said.
He added acquiring BG would help Shell's replacement ratio: the amount of oil fields Shell has lined up to replace the oil it is currently producing.
But he warned cost savings would be hard to achieve and "with the current downsizing in the oil industry you would expect some job losses".


Ullapool's Loopallu music festival has sold out for an 11th year in a row.

This year's headline acts include The Temperance Movement and Reverend & The Makers.
The event on 25 and 26 September will also feature The Damned, Skipinnish, Skerryvore, Little Mammoths and The Supernaturals.
Ullapool Pipe Band will also be making its traditional appearance at the music festival.