Farmers union warns of potential threat to sheep in Scotland through reintroduction of lynx

The Trust says that the wild cat's return in just two areas would deliver net benefits of £68 million over 25 years, which has launched a national consultation for farmers and landowners on a trial reintroduction.

But Andrew Bauer, deputy director of policy for NFU Scotland commented said: “Whilst the prospect of lynx reintroduction has left some breathless with excitement, there are good reasons why the farming community is more wary.

"In some parts of Europe the impact of lynx is moderate – very distressing and damaging for those who lose lambs but not a widespread problem. There are other parts of Europe, most notably Norway, where the impact is far greater – with official reports concluding that tens of thousands of lambs are being predated each year in Norway alone by species such as lynx and wolves.

“Farmers are quite right to question why and how lynx, absent from Scotland since medieval times, should be reintroduced.

"Alongside trumpeting the benefits, those who advocate lynx reintroduction should be up front about the potential impacts on Scotland’s hugely important sheep farming industry and the potentially very significant cost to the public purse.

"Anyone who is concerned about lynx reintroduction should take heart from the fact that any such proposal would be subject to a considerable level of scrutiny."

He said that as a member of the National Species Reintroduction Forum, NFU Scotland would be involved in the scrutiny of any application and would feed in the many views and concerns likely to be voiced by our membership.

He added: "Should it be clear that the risk to farming is unacceptable, NFU Scotland would act accordingly.”

The Trust believes there is an "overwhelmingly strong" case for the move as it will boost the economy, wildlife, forestry and farming while posing no risk to people and little to no threat to livestock and pets, the trust believes.

An analysis by AECOM looked at the impacts of reintroducing the Eurasian lynx at two proposed sites, Kielder Forest in Northumberland and Thetford Forest on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk.

It found the return of the lynx would generate £65.7 million from eco-tourism, creating jobs in the rural economy, and improve crop yields and woodland management by keeping down deer.

And there would be minimal negative impacts on farming, as lynx prefer to hunt deer rather than livestock or domestic pets, the report found.

Over 25 years, the compensation to farmers from killed sheep would run to just £19,000, as European studies suggest each lynx would be expected to kill one sheep every two and a half years, totalling nine sheep a year across the two sites.

But improved crop yields due to the reduced deer population at the two sites would be worth £720,000 over the same period of time.

Using lynx as a natural method of controlling deer would also deliver benefits for wildlife, allowing forests and woodlands to regenerate naturally, providing better habitat and saving up to £1.7 million for forestry operations over a quarter of a century.

It could also save an estimated £980,000 by reducing the number of deer-related road traffic accidents, the study suggested.

Bringing back the Eurasian lynx, which became extinct in Britain more than 1,300 years ago as a result of human activity, would cost £1.4 million over 25 years for the two sites, but would deliver £47 of benefits for every £1 spent.

Chris White, senior environmental economist at AECOM, said: "Our cost-benefit analysis shows that the argument for reintroducing lynx to the UK is compelling from an economic, social and environmental perspective.

"At a time when the UK needs to think laterally and creatively to realise economic benefits, this is an idea worth exploring, particularly due to the potential eco-tourism and job opportunities in rural communities."