Shooting deer in England has become easier under government plans aimed at curbing the damage the animals are doing to the country’s forests.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds plans to bring in new legislation to give landowners and tenants legal rights to shoot deer to protect crops and property.
Because there are no natural predators in England, deer can breed quickly without any population controls. Four non-native deer species – muntjac, Chinese water deer, fallow and sika – were introduced into the forest and thrived. Only two species of deer in England, the red and the roe, are endemic.
Overpopulation of deer can cause problems in forests: they eat leaves, buds and fibrous stems and strip bark from mature trees, affecting the health of the trees and making them susceptible to disease. Some deer, especially the sika, fly their antlers into trees, which can kill young woodpeckers.
The government’s statutory environmental targets require the equivalent of 43,000 hectares (106,255 acres) of net growth to be regenerated, which will be difficult if the deer population continues to expand. Government figures show that 33% of English forests are now in an unfavorable condition due to the impact of deer, up from 24% in the early 2000s.
The government is more focused on protecting trees with guards and fences than addressing the deer population. Now it has announced that the method is changing. Under the plans, all publicly owned or managed land will have deer management plans within 10 years.
Areas of national priority – where deer have the largest population and have the most detrimental effect on the forest – are identified, where the bucks are targeted.
There will also be a change in the way the grant is paid to landowners for shooting deer. Under the new scheme, landowners can pay to shoot deer when the animals move out of woodlands, making it easier to target problem populations, said Emma Dear, principal officer for tree establishment at Natural England.
She told the Guardian: “It means we can intervene in time when environmental damage is most likely to occur. The problem is that deer move through the landscape and are not confined to one patch. The sanctioning system only made it easier in forests; the new strategy will solve that.”
Dear added that the lack of natural predators is responsible for the increase in deer populations across England. Wolves, bears, lynx and other apex predators were hunted to extinction many years ago. Climate change is also a factor.
“Deer are changing their behavior because of the warmer winters. They can winter in better conditions, and the number of babies they have is higher when the winter is warmer,” Dear said.
Defra sources said there would be a particular focus on listing muntjac populations as invasive species, and the agency would assess whether sika and Chinese water deer could be added to the invasive species list and urgently targeted. These are the three deer species that cause the most damage.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said: “Our trees and native wildlife are being harmed by deer, including non-native deer species. This Government will help landowners and farmers manage deer impacts more effectively so forests thrive and crops do better.
Killed deer can be eaten, Defra will look at how to sell and get the meat safely into the supply chain.
Dear said: “There is a section of the strategy looking at venison marketing and supporting that industry. Supporting the wild venison sector will reduce operating costs.”
