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8th March 2011
GREY SQUIRREL DAMAGE – £14 MILLION PER ANNUM
Grey squirrels cost the British economy an estimated £14 million per annum according to a study published by the international scientific organisation CABI for DEFRA, Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly.
The recently published report also estimated that the total cost to the British economy of invasive non native species was £1.8 billion every year.
Grey squirrels are identified as having a wide range of impacts from reduction in wood production to an adverse effect on biodiversity. Squirrels were found increasingly to be doing damage to property where they build dreys in lofts, tear up insulation, chew timber, wires and stored goods.
“This is a revealing and welcome report, it reinforces the message of the damage and cost of the American grey squirrel,” said Miles Barne the chairman of the European Squirrel Initiative. “It demonstrates that consistent and effective grey squirrel control is essential to reduce their impact on our biodiversity and economy.
The report investigated the effect of grey squirrels on the forestry industry and concluded that they were costing an estimated £6millon per annum.
The reports, which chose grey squirrels as one of its case studies, found that the annual cost to the agriculture and horticultural sectors amounted to approximately £1 billion, while the cost to the construction, development and infrastructure sector was approximately £212 million.
