Devon Wildlife Trust, who ran the trial, reported the environmental benefits the beavers have brought to the local area, including enhancing the environment at a local wildlife site, wetland habitat creation, and reducing flood risk for housing downstream.
The NFU has always held concerns that beavers can have a significant local impact on the countryside and farming, from creating dams that can undermine riverbanks to impeding farmland drainage with waterlogged fields becoming unsuitable for grazing or cropping, all leading to serious implications on our ability to produce food. The NFU has been calling on Defra for a long-term management plan for naturalised beaver populations that offers support to those local farmers and rural communities affected. You can read more on the NFU's call for long-term management plans for naturalised beaver populations, here.
Defra recognise the land managers concerns around beavers impacting on farmland and plan to launch a public consultation later this year on the management of beavers in the wild and national approach for any further releases. The NFU will engage with government on the public consultation. When the consultation is published, the NFU will be seeking members’ views from across the country.
NFU environment forum chairman Phil Jarvis said:
“Following Defra’s decision for beavers to remain on the River Otter in Devon it is vital that Defra works with farmers and other organisations to develop a long-term management plan. Within this there must also be an effective exit strategy ready to be put in place if any major issues occur.
“We will continue to work with government and key stakeholders to ensure any potential impacts on farmland and the countryside are properly considered and mitigated.”
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:
"We understand that there are implications for landowners, and take care to ensure that all potential impacts are carefully considered, and we can confirm a new government consultation on our national approach and management will open later this year."
More from NFUonline:
- NFU submits evidence on Biodiversity and Ecosystems
- Watch again: First NFU Live event unlocks the future of environmental support
- Lords vote for Agriculture Bill amendment in favour of trade deal scrutiny
- Watch again: The NFU at the virtual Labour party conference
