Reintroducing lynx and wolves to Britain and Ireland, centuries after they disappeared, would pose significant challenges for livestock farmers, a researcher from Queen’s University Belfast has said.

Researcher and conservationist Dr Jonny Hanson argued that farmers need to be listened to in the debate about large carnivore reintroductions.

Hanson recently published his findings entitled ‘Large carnivore reintroductions to Britain and Ireland: farmers’ perspectives and management options’ as a Nuffield farming report, sponsored by the Thomas Henry Foundation.

The research found that when large carnivores return to a landscape, the challenges of achieving coexistence between these species and livestock farming are considerable.

Farmers, Hanson said, in Britain and Ireland are opposed both to the return of apex predators in general, as well as to most of the management tools which could be used to facilitate coexistence.

He added that the research also found wide gaps in the knowledge base relating to this topic, such as the costs of training and equipping farmers to adapt their farming practices to deter lynx or wolves.

“Much greater levels of research and consultation, especially with livestock farmers, are necessary to weigh up the delicate balance of pros and cons in this debate. Only then can the questions of could and should we reintroduce these species be properly answered.”

Sample size

Hanson interviewed the five main farming unions across both Britain and Ireland, two key livestock organisations and three rewilding groups as part of the research.

He also conducted over 40 interviews and visits with farmers, rewilders, officials, scientists, hunters and entrepreneurs across Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the USA, seeking insights on how coexistence between livestock farming and large carnivore conservation could be managed and governed when these species return to a landscape.