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Written question asked by Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 5 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 7 January 2026. It was answered by Mary Creagh (Labour) on Monday, 12 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Deer

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department made of the potential impact of deer populations on rural environments.

Answer

Defra supports survey programmes that assess the ecological condition of woodlands in England. This includes the National Forest Inventory woodland ecological condition assessment, which indicated in 2020 that 40% of woodland habitat in unfavourable condition due to herbivore damage, including from deer. A further large-scale woodland survey, known as the Bunce survey, reported in 2024 that 33% of English woodlands are impacted by deer.

Defra funded an assessment of the cost of invasive non-native species to Great Britain in 2023 as part of the GB Invasive Non-native Species Strategy. This included invasive non-native species of deer and indicated that their impacts result in costs to society of around £47.7 million annually.

Defra provides a range of support to help manage deer impacts on woodlands. This includes grants for deer management, projects and capital items such as fencing, and funding a dedicated team of Deer Officers within the Forestry Commission to provide advice.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
103142
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Deer
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk