Widespread beaver release plans spark farming concern

Eurasian beavers are set to make a return to the English countryside as Defra announces plans to allow the reintroduction of the thick-toothed rodents through a new licensing system.

Defra says the return of beavers will be carefully managed to avoid impacts on farming, food production and infrastructure, and that their presence will be beneficial in creating natural flood defences and building wetlands that are thriving havens for wildlife.   

See also: Beaver reintroduction in Essex helping to alleviate flooding

It is expected that the first release of wild beavers will happen at the Purbeck Heaths national nature reserve in Dorset, with a licence issued to the National Trust.  

Licenses can be obtained from Natural England, but any new wild release projects will need a 10-year project plan in place. 

Limited trials

Once abundant in England, beavers were hunted to extinction. In recent years, they have been returning to England’s waterways through a system of licensed releases into enclosures, and a limited trial of wild releases in Devon.

All existing beaver populations will be allowed to remain and expand naturally, and Natural England will ensure that appropriate management measures are put in place.

Existing populations will continue to be proactively managed by their local beaver management group.   

The UK government is also set to begin work with key stakeholders on a long-term beaver management plan in England, which builds on this most recent approach.

Reaction 

Welcoming the plans, Natural England chairman Tony Jupiter said: “Beavers have been missing from our landscapes for about 400 years and this careful approach for their planned return is a significant landmark for nature recovery in England.”

Environment Agency chairman Alan Lovell added: “As part of our work to reduce flood risk and restore rivers to good health, the return of wild beavers will improve water quality, boost biodiversity and build resilience to climate change through nature-based solutions.”

The Nature Friendly Farming Network was also supportive of the move, saying licensed releases are the right approach to ensure positive outcomes.

But major farming unions have raised concerns over the plans, pointing to damage that has been caused by beavers in other parts of the UK.

NFU Scotland director of communications Bobby Carruth highlights the Tayside release, which resulted in significant damage to highly productive farmland and a high cost for farmers dealing with the animals.

“The massive blowouts of long-established flood banks compromised by beaver lodges caused eye-watering physical damage and financial losses stretching in some cases to six figures that farm businesses cannot sustain,” he said.

“We are now at the point where we simply cannot afford to have beavers present in areas of productive farmland.”

NFU deputy president David Exwood added: “With existing legal and illegal populations of beavers expanding across England, the government must put in place a longer-term vision and management plan for beavers – before any further wild releases are considered.

“This must include the ability for those involved in beaver management to use all available tools in the toolbox, including lethal control, if beavers become disruptive.”

Last year, the Welsh government announced its support for the managed reintroduction of beavers in Wales, and is currently engaging with stakeholders over plans to amend the legislative framework.