Oct. 31 2023
Source Page: Hunting with Dogs Consultation (November 2021): EIR releaseFound: Rabbits should be included in the definition as should beavers and squirrels.
Mentions:
1: Slater, Lorna (Green - Lothian) aware of the local outbreak that has been reported near Lockerbie through the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels - Speech Link
2: Slater, Lorna (Green - Lothian) I thank Michael Marra very much for the question, and I encourage local enthusiasm for red squirrels - Speech Link
Oct. 31 2023
Source Page: Managing and maintaining woodlands: overviewFound: Grey squirrel control Grey squirrels can cause serious bark strippingdamage to many trees between about
Mentions:
1: Rebecca Pow (CON - Taunton Deane) site, famous for its incredible birds, including terns, avocets and even gulls, as well as its red squirrels - Speech Link
Asked by: Burnett, Alexander (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Aberdeenshire West)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission NatureScot to lead on red squirrel conservation and embed grey squirrel control in its operations to ensure a future for the red squirrel in Scotland.
Answered by Slater, Lorna - Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity
NatureScot has worked with partners on red squirrel conservation, including work to control grey squirrels, for many years. In particular, the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrel (SSRS) partnership project has been working in strategic areas to protect, maintain and promote existing red squirrel populations since 2007. With support from project staff, professional Grey Squirrel Officers (GSOs) have been working with volunteers and landowners to deliver strategic grey squirrel control.
NatureScot, Scottish Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland are currently providing core funding for these roles. It remains a priority for the Scottish Government to ensure the important work undertaken by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels continues.
Apr. 06 2023
Source Page: Rabbits: how to control numbersFound: snares once a day kill humanely any rabbits you catch release all other animals unharmed – except grey squirrels
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 to permit grey squirrels to be released by vet practices and wildlife rescue centres.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
It is the Government's position that the release of rehabilitated grey squirrels is not a harmless act and would actively work against efforts to manage this species. Grey squirrels negatively impact forestry and infrastructure, causing at least £37m pa. worth of damage to trees in England and Wales. Grey squirrels also have a disastrous impact on the native red squirrel population due to competition and the fatal transmission of squirrel pox virus. This has contributed to red squirrel populations reducing to approximately 38,900 from an estimated 3.5m.
The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 (the Order) implements the retained EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation. The retained Regulation establishes a list of species of special concern and provides for restrictions on these species so they cannot be intentionally brought into GB, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. In advance of the Order coming into force, a full public consultation was run in summer of 2019 seeking views on the management measures being considered by Defra for the widely spread 'species of special concern', which includes grey squirrel.
In June 2020 HMG published their response to the public consultation on 'Invasive Alien Species: Management Measures for Widely Spread Species in England and Wales'. This confirmed the Government's view that there is no provision under the retained Regulation which would enable the Government to allow the species concerned to be taken in from the wild, rehabilitated and released back into the wild.
Jun. 30 2023
Source Page: School age childcare: national children's charterFound: It’s big with lots of nature (including deer, squirrels and herons!)
Jun. 30 2023
Source Page: School age childcare: national children's charterFound: • Sheddocksley Woods for playing, den building, climbing and animals (hedgehogs, badgers, deer, squirrels
May. 14 2024
Source Page: Board of Commissioners meeting, 13 July 2023Found: across the nationÔs forests and recovered or reintroduced populations of native species such as red squirrels