Shropshire farming chief welcomes call to compensate land managers over 'high-risk' species

Graham Price, NFU Shropshire chair, was reacting to a report from The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, called Species Reintroduction.

Species Reintroduction aims to re-establish viable populations of plants and animals by moving them from areas where they are present to areas from which they have been lost. It is argued the reintroductions could help the Government meet its biodiversity and species abundance goal, restore ecosystems and secure the future of organisms in the wild, but there are warnings it may also lead to adverse impacts on farmers.

In the UK, animals such as beavers, bison and birds of prey have been in the spotlight as examples of species reintroduction.

In the report, the committee said animals should not be reintroduced and given protected status without a full management plan being in place, as happened with beavers.

The committee wants the Government to create a priority list of species by January 2024 as it said a lack of clarity is creating confusion among conservationists, landowners and farmers.

“Certain species reintroduction could have significant impact on the many benefits the countryside and farming deliver," said Mr Price, in response. "And so it’s reassuring to see the Efra Committee’s latest report recognises those concerns. We also recognise that many species could be beneficial and aren’t at all controversial.

“We have been calling for a government framework which outlines the process it will follow when managing species reintroductions in England. We welcome the committee recommendation for Government to create a species reintroduction strategy by January 2024.

“It is important that the Government now take into consideration these recommendations and look into how species being reintroduced are controlled and how compensation is payable for additional costs.

"We look forward to working alongside them to ensure responsible decisions about species reintroduction are taken and incorporate the farming communities’ views.”

The committee said the current system is "overly bureaucratic" when it comes to reintroducing low-risk species including plants, fungi and insects and that there should be a long-term vision for the species the Government supports and justification for the ones it does not.

This lack of clarity has meant that applications to reintroduce beavers in the wild are still not open despite them being designated as a protected species in October, the committee added in its report.

Trudy Harrison, minister for natural environment and land use, said she does not believe reintroductions to be a major part of nature's recovery, preferring that the Government focus on habitat restoration instead.

Chair of the committee, Sir Robert Goodwill, said: "The current arrangements for reintroducing species are completely inadequate.

"At one end of the scale, many farmers and other land users would love to know which low-risk plants, birds or maybe insects they could help to prosper - but we don't yet have a Government-approved list they can even look at.

"But at the higher-risk end, there was nowhere near enough planning or consultation from Government before the protected status of beavers was granted, for example. Beavers can cause problems for farmers by re-directing rivers and flooding agricultural land.

"The protected status of beavers should be reviewed and there should be much wider and more transparent consultation on any other potentially risky species reintroductions."

Last year the Government committed to restoring 30 per cent of nature by 2030 and the committee said species reintroductions can help achieve this as well as benefiting local communities through improving the environment, encouraging tourism and restoring ecosystems.

Joan Edwards, director policy and public affairs for The Wildlife Trusts, said: "Government has set ambitious targets to halt and reverse the decline in species because it understands that nature underpins our economy and our wellbeing, so it needs to be far more proactive in supporting the return of key ecosystem engineers like beavers.

"It's essential that Government now puts in place support to farmers to help them make space for nature on their land, and confirms its intention to facilitate the return of beavers - alongside multiple other lost and declining species - if we are to meet Government targets, international obligations, and most importantly, the needs of our society for a thriving, wildlife-rich world."