§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many deer were shot by the Forestry Commission in Somerset in(a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02. [91172]
§ Mr. MorleyThe subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I asked its Chief Executive, Dr. Bob McIntosh, to arrange a written response which I have attached.
Letter from Dr. Bob McIntosh to Mr. Liddell-Grainger, dated January 2003:
I refer to the question you have asked of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many deer were shot by the Forestry Commission in Somerset in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02. I have been asked to reply to you.We shot a total of 200 deer in 2000–01 (1 April-31 March) and 171 in 2001–02 (1 April-31 March) on Forestry Commission land in the county of Somerset.I hope this is the information you require.
§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who is responsible for calculating the deer figures in the UK; and what they were at the most recent date. [91173]
§ Mr. MorleyNo statutory body routinely collects information on overall wild deer numbers in England and Wales, or in Northern Ireland. The Deer Commission for Scotland conducts wild deer censuses in different areas every year and has estimated that wild deer in Scotland might currently number 600,000, although no completely reliable figure is available.
Stephen Harris et al. (1995) estimated the following pre-breeding population sizes for deer in Great Britain.
England Scotland Wales Total GB Red deer 12.500 347,000 <50 360,000 Fallow deer 95,000 <4,000 <1,000 100,000 Roe deer 150,000 350,000 50 500,000 Sika deer 2,500 9,000 0 11,500 Muntjac deer 40,000 <50 <250 40,000 Chinese water deer 650 0 0 650 Source:
From: Harris, S., Morris P., Wray S. and Yalden D. 1995. "A Review of British Mammals: population estimates and conservation status of British mammals other than cetaceans". JNCC, Peterborough.