§ Lord Mancroftasked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimates have been made of the costs of a deer management scheme on Exmoor; and [HL882]
When the Minister will publish an impact assessment on the integrity of the deer herd on Exmoor in the event of a ban on hunting. [HL883]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)Local deer management schemes can be attractive to local land owners and occupiers where they help to manage wild deer populations in the interests of undertakings such as agriculture or forestry. We have not estimated the costs of such schemes.
226WAThe aim of the Hunting Bill is to deal with the issue of cruelty. The Burns report concluded that, in the event of a ban on hunting, some overall reduction in total deer numbers might occur unless an effective deer management strategy were implemented. The Government's view is that appropriate control of deer populations can best be considered through local deer management groups. These groups operate both in areas where there is deer hunting and in other areas where there are healthy wild deer herds. Advice on setting up deer management groups is provided by the Deer Initiative, a partnership sponsored by the Forestry Commission. Partners in the initiative include Defra and English Nature, as well as forestry and agricultural interests.