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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has set a timeline for the approval of wild release licences for beavers in England.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

On 28 February 2025, Defra announced its new approach to beavers, including opening a licensing scheme for beaver wild release.

Applicants must first submit an Expression of Interest, which will be assessed by Natural England (NE). Projects likely to meet the licensing criteria will be invited to make a full application.

NE aim to assess Expressions of Interest within 45 working days. Full application assessments are likely to take a minimum of four months. All applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and assessment may take longer for complex projects or if there is high demand.