Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about the protection of hedgehogs.

The hedgehog is an extraordinary creature, much loved, and with a long and celebrated history in this country. I am pleased that these creatures are currently protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 from being killed using prohibited methods such as crossbows, traps and snares.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act also sets out a legal duty for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to undertake a review every five years to determine whether any further species warrant inclusion as a protected species under the legislation, and for the Secretary of State to lay this advice before Parliament. This review process is science led and evidence based, with criteria for consideration of species agreed across the jurisdictions of the UK. The Committee is currently conducting its review and will make recommendations for any additions at the end of this year.

In the meantime, the Environment Bill contains measures that will help improve the status of threatened species. This includes a requirement to set at least one long-term, legally binding target in relation to biodiversity, as well as strengthening the duty on public authorities to take action to conserve and enhance biodiversity. Ministers are also acting, through net gain provisions in the Bill, to support the role of new development in helping protect and create the habitat that our native species, including hedgehogs, need to thrive.

Further, the Government is working to determine the specific actions that will reward farmers and land managers under the new environmental land management schemes and I know that more details will be set out later this year. The Agricultural Transition Plan gives examples of the types of actions that my Ministerial colleagues envisage paying for, including creating, managing and restoring habitats such as woodland, heathland and species-rich grassland, which could all benefit species such as hedgehog.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours,

EDWARD LEIGH MP