And To Top It All Off...1 TRILLION Locusts Will Soon Arrive.

The Telegraph
Castrate squirrels and serve prisoners culled deer meat, says latest net zero plan
Harry Brennan
Sun, February 18, 2024 at 6:15 AM PST



Squirrels will be chemically castrated and deer will be culled, cooked and served to prisoners under net zero plans to protect England’s trees.

The Government is drawing up options to control the deer and squirrel population to protect woodlands in an effort to limit the nation’s carbon output and help native species.

The highest deer population for 1,000 years is devastating woodland, while grey squirrels are estimated to cost the economy £37 million per year in negative impacts to trees, whilst ravaging red squirrel populations.


The risks to woodlands also threaten to undermine efforts to increase the use of timber frame house building, under plans to reduce carbon output in the construction industry.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is due to publish both a deer and squirrel strategy to tackle the issue.

Population control plans under consideration include: culling deer and using their meat to serve venison in prisons and hospitals; putting contraception in grey squirrel feed to effectively sterilise the population; and using gene editing technology that means grey squirrels only give birth to one sex, limiting further reproduction.

The strategies will aid long-held efforts to protect native red squirrels, while protecting government targets to have 16.5 per cent of England under tree cover by 2050 – a goal in the Environment Act which will increase tree cover to an area the size of Cheshire.


Under previous plans, it was hoped boosting the pine marten population would also help limit grey squirrel numbers and protect the native red. Studies have shown exposure to pine martens has a strong negative effect on grey squirrel populations, but the opposite effect for red squirrels.

Britain’s red squirrel population has fallen from around 3.5 million to just a few hundred thousand, compared to the estimated population of 2.7 million grey squirrels, following their introduction from North America in the 19th century.

Deer strategy delays
Defra’s deer strategy was due to be published last summer, but has been subjected to “frustrating” delays at ministerial level, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Lord Kinnoull, chairman of the UK Squirrel Accord, said while there were a number of non-lethal ways to control squirrels, this was not the case for deer.

He said: “The difficulty with deer is there isn’t a fertility control strategy and so control means a high calibre rifle. Such rifles are typically lethal at a two-mile range and thus experience and expertise is vital.

“When you shoot a deer in the highlands of Scotland there is an extremely efficient system of putting it into the market. The red deer that are shot in Scotland are scooped up and end up being eaten.

“In the home counties, the venison collection industry is not well developed.”

Previous deer culls in London parks have come under fire from animal rights protestors.


The Government now wants to boost the popularity of venison, which has been described as “arguably Britain’s most sustainable meat”, as well as using surplus meat from culls to feed prisoners, hospital patients and members of the Armed Forces.

It is supporting organisations such as the Country Food Trust, which launched a campaign at the start of the year for surplus venison to be supplied to restaurants and provided to food banks to alleviate food poverty, particularly among children.

Deer cull meat supplied by Forestry England is already served to patients at the East Lancashire Hospital Trust. Items on the menu have included venison and winter vegetable pie, as well as Lancashire venison and mash casserole.

Gene editing technology
The Government is also exploring “CRISPR gene editing” technology, a form of bio-engineering whereby squirrels’ reproductive cycles are altered. This can mean squirrels introduced into the population breed only one sex.

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Ministers are also keen to roll out technology developed by the Animal and Health Agency which administers contraception via feeders that can only be accessed by grey squirrels.

Lord Benyon the environment minister said last year the technology was “a game-changer” and filled “a gap where there has been either a lack of skill or a lack of will to kill grey squirrels”.

“There will be no reticence among ministers in making sure that the licensing of all aspects of this solution allow its delivery to be rolled out as quickly and cheaply as possible,” he told a debate in the House of Lords.

A Defra spokesman said: “We have no overall targets for a reduction in deer or grey squirrel populations, but their impact on our woodlands does need to be managed and will shortly publish action plans outlining options to do this.”