Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Farmers fume at ‘last-minute legislation’ over beavers
FARMERS have reacted angrily to news that beavers have been given legal protection as a native species in England, making it an offence to kill, harm or disturb them.
Under legislation laid before Parliament rises for the summer, the protection for the animals will come into force from October 1.
The reintroduction of beavers in the UK was pioneered in the South West, with animals making their home on the River Otter in East Devon and at the Holnicote Estate in Somerset.
But giving them legal protection across the country has angered farmers, who accused the Government of pushing through legislation “at the last minute before the summer recess.”
National Farmers’ Union president Minette Batters, who is based in Wiltshire, said it was “totally unacceptable” to bring in the new law with, in her words “absolutely no detail and vague platitudes that there will be a management plan published in ‘due course.’”
“Farmers are continuing to work around the clock to produce the nation’s food and they will be rightly asking why the Government is introducing this last-minute legislation in the same week that it couldn’t find parliamentary time to scrutinise the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement. It is imperative that Defra now brings plans forward to manage beavers and their potential impact as soon as possible.”
However, wildlife groups hailed the legislation as making a milestone in the return of the semi-aquatic mammals, which were hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th century for their fur, glands and meat.
They are now found living in the wild on a number of rivers in Scotland and England through official trials and illegal releases or escapes, and have also been introduced into enclosures in a number of English counties.
Conservationists, who support the return of beavers because they engineer river and water systems to boost other wildlife, curb flooding and help water quality, welcomed the move to give them legal protection in England, bringing the country in line with the rules in Scotland.
Wildlife groups are awaiting a national beaver strategy, which it is hoped will pave the way for the licensed release of beavers into the wild in England, where it has local support and benefits for the landscape.
There was confusion earlier in the week, when it seemed as if the legislation would not be laid before the summer recess of Parliament, but the Environment Department said it had now been put in place.
Sandra King, Beaver Trust chief executive, said it was “a huge relief for the restoration of beavers in England that the Government has seen sense and that this is going ahead as planned”.
The Government said the legislation establishes the legal mechanism to strictly manage the release of Eurasian beavers and their control after release. Tony Juniper, chairman of government conservation agency Natural England, said: “This is a significant moment for beaver recovery, as we see a return of this species to its natural places in England.”
He added: “Beavers play important roles in making ecosystems functions properly, helping to store and slow the flow of water through the building of dams and creation of complex wetlands, which in turn can reduce the impact of both floods and droughts.”