Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a target for the phased reduction of the grey squirrel population in the next five years.

As well as being a threat to the native red squirrel, the grey squirrel poses a severe challenge to the sustainable management of woodlands in England.

In the Environmental Improvement Plan we committed to do more to tackle the impacts of grey squirrels on our trees, woodlands and red squirrel population by updating the Grey Squirrel Action Plan, embedding grey squirrel management into woodland and farming schemes, and encouraging public bodies and adjacent landowners to work together to manage grey squirrel populations, where appropriate.

Countryside Stewardship funding is now available for grey squirrel management. We have also provided funding to the UK Squirrel Accord, including for work on an innovative grey squirrel immunocontraceptive.

The updated Grey Squirrel Action Plan will build on existing support delivered through the Forestry Commission and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, setting out the additional actions Government will take to combat grey squirrels.

These actions are all aimed at reducing the pressures of grey squirrels on the environment and industry, through population reduction. Our objectives are to support red squirrel conservation and to reduce damage to trees and it is better to target our action to achieve those goals.