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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the size of England's deer herd; and if her Department will publish its projections for the size of England's deer herd in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Natural England published A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals in 2018 that provides comprehensive review of the status of British mammal populations, including the six species of deer that exist in the wild in the UK, and gives estimates of their numbers: A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals - JP025 (naturalengland.org.uk)

There are no current plans to produce projections for the size of England's deer herd in 2024 or 2025. Sufficient evidence for increasing deer numbers comes from past surveys, the expansion of their geographic range, and the impact they have on our woodlands, crops and vehicles. Defra’s agencies and wider stakeholders consider that deer are more abundant and widespread now than at any time in the past 1,000 years.