By Katharine Cook, Farming in Protected Landscapes Business Support Officer

Have you noticed recently how many deer have been hit on the roads near you? Have you seen muntjac near where you live or large herds of fallow deer in the countryside?

Deer numbers are at an all-time high in the UK and, although they are beautiful to spot in the countryside, they are increasingly causing problems – both for the general public (over 35,000 road traffic accidents a year), farmers and landowners, as well as damaging the natural environment. A lack of natural predators has seen both native and non-native deer numbers increase dramatically in recent years, threatening local biodiversity and habitat resilience.

Large deer numbers are now consuming and damaging significant quantities of arable crops and grassland pastures, significantly affecting both arable and dairy farm businesses.

They are also hugely damaging to our woodlands, preventing regrowth on mature specimens and limiting the growth of young saplings. Walk in many woods in the North Wessex Downs and you will notice the lack of green understorey, young shoots and saplings. In extreme cases this damage will mean forests won’t be fit enough to regenerate and will slowly die off. Research by the British Trust for Ornithology (1) has also shown that deer-browsed woodlands support less birdlife, particularly woodland species such as the nightingale and the willow tit. Similarly, newly planted hedges are hindered from establishing and in some cases whole new woodland schemes have been badly affected. As the Forestry Commission says, “we’re planting the most expensive deer food in the country”.

Tree damage caused by deer

Here at the North Wessex Downs NL Partnership, specifically under the Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) programme, we have been looking at a variety of ways to help tackle this increasing problem.

We funded our first deer-related project back in 2023 when Charlie Hancock, founder of Game Changer Charcuteries, approached us with his venture to make charcuterie (cured meats) using venison. By producing a high-value product his aim was to increase the profitability of stalking and thus increase deer management activity. Our support has enabled Charlie to establish a charcuterie business – researching new products, running training courses for catering students and the public alike, teaching venison butchery and how to produce a high-value end-product. He sells his quality products via his website –gamechangercharcuterie.co.uk. Charlie and his team recently held a successful open day at their premises at Sheepdrove Organic Farm, with over 100 visitors attending and learning about his work.

We have also worked with a new game processing facility in the area, based near Newbury. Using their new facilities, Oakland Park LTD are providing a large-scale service to process game from the area and beyond, at a time when many such facilities are closing down. They plan to offer a fair price and an efficient service to stalkers, with the intention of increasing deer management in the area.

At the other end of the system, the team at North Wessex Downs National Landscape were one of the pioneers of Farm Groups or Clusters and we continue to work with our increasing number of farmer groups. Recently we provided funds to one of our groups in North Hampshire to monitor deer numbers on their farms using drones. Once they are better aware of numbers they can start to tackle the problem on a landscape scale. Farmer groups are an excellent way to engage with farmers and we hope that by working with them we can provide a forum for important issues such as deer management.

A public talk from the British Deer Society took place in October

Finally, we have been running educational events with the British Deer Society (BDS) for both the public and also for those involved in deer management and land management directly. Our public event in October in Great Bedwyn was very popular and prompted some lively discussion about the issues. The BDS is dedicated to supporting deer welfare and gave a balanced view of the many challenges that our rising deer populations pose. A few weeks later, again with the BDS, we held a day for those directly involved in deer management, focusing on how to assess deer damage using an Environmental Impact Assessment and how to produce a deer management plan. Attendees enjoyed meeting with others tackling the issue and discussing their different challenges.

Stalkers & land managers learning about woodland damage with the British Deer Society

Deer are an ancient and picturesque part of our landscape, but with no natural predators their numbers need to be carefully monitored and managed. Through education, informing farmer groups and supporting local businesses we hope that the benefits of deer management can be realised. Through a range of activities we aim to protect our beautiful countryside from unnecessary damage, support our farmers and their businesses, develop healthier woodlands and increase biodiversity across the area. And all at the same time as producing a healthy sustainable food source for all.

Further reading can be found on the BDS website: The Role of Deer Management in Conservation in the UK.

 

Note:
(1) Modelling large-scale relationships between increasing abundance of deer and changes in bird populations in lowland England. Newsen et al Journal of Applied Ecology, Jan 2012