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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to control the grey squirrel population.

The Government is committed to addressing grey squirrel impacts.

In 2019, the Government put in place the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order. Under the Order, listed invasive species, including the grey squirrel, cannot be imported, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, or released into the environment.

We announced in the England Trees Action Plan and Environment Improvement Plan that we will update the Grey Squirrel Action Plan. The Government has introduced Countryside Stewardship funding for grey squirrel control and management.

We have also worked with stakeholders and the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) on their England Red Squirrel Action Plan which was published in January this year and sets out the actions needed to guide red squirrel conservation and recovery. Alongside the UK Squirrel Accord, research into fertility control for grey squirrels to reduce local grey squirrel populations.