More than 70 farmers and landowners attended a meeting organised by the NFU (National Farmers’ Union) about beaver introduction on Tuesday 5th April.
The meeting took place at The Chequers Inn, near Rookley, and helped farmers to understand the impact that a beaver introduction by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) could have on the farmed landscape of the Isle of Wight, should it be licensed.
The Wildlife Trust’s beaver officer outlined how beaver impacts could be managed, with measures including:
- electric fencing of crops
- sandpaper paint or galvanised fencing to protect trees
- removal of trees and other sources of food from certain areas to discourage beaver establishment
- reinforcement of riverbanks with stone or galvanised mesh to discourage burrowing.
Farmers from the Tay catchment in Scotland, where there are more than 1,000 beavers, and farmers from the Stour, in Kent, joined the meeting virtually, sharing their experiences of living with wild populations of beavers. The meeting was also addressed by the NFU’s national adviser on species reintroductions.
Those attending the meeting learned of significant damage to low lying arable land, like that in the Arreton Valley, caused by the burrowing and damming activities of beaver, graphically illustrated by photographic evidence.
Damage to public access routes was highlighted. Concerns were raised about where responsibility and culpability for injury would fall if damage by beavers led to the collapse of footpaths or bridleways on a farmer’s land – a further cost someone must take responsibility for.
Isle of Wight NFU chair Robyn Munt, of Parkwater Farm, Newport, said:
“Should a licence be granted, there would need to be intense monitoring of beaver activity by HIWWT within the entire Eastern Yar catchment. What remains unclear is who would cover the cost of these management options in the long term. HIWWT must demonstrate its ability to take responsibility for such costs during a five-year or 10-year licence period. However, beyond that, being a charitable organisation, it can only make assurances and cannot commit to financial responsibility in perpetuity if beavers were to spread across the Island.
Article continues below this advertisement “The NFU is lobbying for the managers of beaver projects to take full responsibility for the cost of such projects in the long term. This would include the costs of an exit strategy, should unmanageable conflicts arise. Importantly, the NFU is asking Government to ensure that every beaver project establishes a steering group with farmer representation within each steering group. We will be looking for the same assurances around licence being drawn up for the Island beaver project.”
DON’T say NO say YES lets have them
What a wonderful idea, they will stop the river Yar flooding and save us a lot of money
When will these ego trip ‘naturalists’ get the message ? we don’t want beavers on the Island, there are no advantages. Beavers are great in the Canadian backwoods.
The sooner they are on the island the better.
Geet ov me land.
I likes a bit ov beaver I does.
NO to beavers on the Island, they have never been here before, so why now.
Who’s going to pay for all the electric fencing and sandpaper paint etc etc? Which wont work, and somehow or another we the local council tax payer will end up funding it I’m sure. As we end up paying for all their stupid projects.
What an absurd idea introducing a non native highly destructive species……. you should better still hold the Australians view of non native species!
I remember the coypu that lived on the norfolk broads and the immense damage they done to an ecologically sensitive area, the efforts and costs of their removal as well.
When there was talks held about introducing white tailed eagles their were many concerns voiced about them taking lambs, dogs, fish, etc . Haven’t heard of anything like that has happened since the birds were released.
Possibly because they spend a lot of time off the island! Beavers won’t have the ability to fly to a different area if they don’t like the environment!
I literally just despair at this kind of stupidity. Introduce beavers where there are none (and probably never were) and in 10 years there will be a huge issue about culling them and the damage they have caused and the expense wasted on trying to “manage” them etc etc blah blah blah. It isn’t broken and it doesn’t need fixing so the virtue signaling HIWWT should go do one.
Same thing occurred with a certain race of humans Not coincidence crime overcrowding poverty and misery follow such wherever they choose to settle either
Are you referring to Africans ?
I also feel for these people.
It is no wonder that some have a chip on there shoulder.
Beaver lives matter ! (Also).
I despair at the attitude on this island and in these comments: not mostly sensible questions about the introduction of beavers. Just this attitude that we haven’t got them now so let’s say no. Drives me nuts – and if you disagree you’re told to go and live elsewhere.
Can someone please tell me WHY we need beavers here on the Island? What are the benefits? Yes, they’re cute to look at but that’s not really the point, is it? And, if they are such a good thing to have here, why will they need so much ‘management’?
Electric fences, painting trees with sand based paint, felling other trees, reinforcing riverbanks, wire meshing other areas. Come on, this really doesn’t make it sound like an ideal species to be introducing, does it?
Maybe we should be listening to the people who actually work on the land in other areas where they have been introduced and they are considered a pest.
Normal say no to everything lslanders we know education is a problem here this proves it.
There is some evidence according to a local archaeology group that beavers were on the island 8,000 years ago. That said the island is much different now.
The island has managed a little foward progress in 8000 years. now our council and some eco fart heads want to take us backwards!
I was only responding to the earlier post that beavers had never been on the island, I was not promoting the re-introduction of them.
If i had to choose between beavers or pesticides i’d choose beavers every time
Beaver dams filter water, considering what farmers have done to hedgerows over the years removing thousands of miles of it to enlarge there fields for easier and more growing. Then you have the cowsh*t and pesticides that run into the rivers, I don’t hear farmers complaining about that. Cut back on building new houses, it’s not needed,keep fields as they are for natural drainage.