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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the establishment of a dedicated Beaver Mitigation Fund to support farmers in managing localised impacts such as flooding.

Support for living alongside beavers is provided through a rigorous risk assessment in the wild release licence application process and the existing management framework laid out in the 5-step beaver management approach. This is be backed up by support through local beaver management groups and Environmental Land Management actions and capital items.

Defra has committed to developing a long-term development plan for beavers in England to ensure we meet the challenges posed by an expanding beaver population. This work includes an evaluation of the effectiveness of the support for living alongside beavers, especially in instances where damage is recorded.