England to Ease Deer Shooting Rules to Protect Woodlands

Published: 21 February 2026, The English Chronicle Desk, The English Chronicle Online

The UK government has unveiled a major plan to make it easier to shoot deer in England as part of efforts to protect woodlands from widespread ecological damage caused by soaring deer populations. The proposals are designed to give landowners and tenants greater legal powers to control deer numbers, particularly where over-browsing is threatening tree health, biodiversity and young forest growth.

Under the new measures outlined by Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, landowners and tenants would be granted legal rights to manage and, where necessary, shoot deer that are harming crops, saplings and mature trees. With the absence of natural predators such as wolves and lynx, deer populations — especially non-native species including muntjac, Chinese water deer, fallow and sika — have expanded rapidly. Experts say this has contributed to 33 per cent of English woodlands now being in “unfavourable condition,” up from 24 per cent in the early 2000s.

Deer are known to eat leaves, buds and young shoots, and certain species can strip bark from trees, weakening them and making them more susceptible to disease. The government’s legally binding environmental targets — including regenerating 43,000 hectares of woodland — are seen as increasingly difficult to meet without more robust deer management.

The reforms include introducing deer management plans for all publicly owned or managed land within a decade, identifying national priority areas where high deer densities are causing the most harm, and targeting culls in those locations. A revised grant system will also support deer control actions outside woodlands, enabling quicker, more effective responses to ecological threats.

In addition to ecological protection, the government is exploring economic opportunities linked to deer management, such as promoting the marketing and safe supply of wild venison, which could help offset management costs and support local rural industries.

Supporters of the initiative say it will help safeguard England’s trees, boost nature recovery and protect crops, while critics and welfare advocates stress the importance of humane practices and sustainable population control methods.

The English Chronicle will continue to follow developments on this story, including how the changes will be implemented and responses from environmental and rural stakeholders.

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