Farmers 'would not stand' for lynx project in county

FARMERS "wouldn't stand" for a reintroduction of lynx in Northumberland despite a study which suggests otherwise.

- DANIEL HALL

The Missing Lynx Project found that 72% of people who engaged with its touring consultation were in favour of Eurasian lynx being reintroduced to Kielder Forest.

Kielder is thought to be the only area of England and Wales with enough extensive woodland for lynx to thrive.

However, some fear that the consultation does not give an accurate representation of the feeling in Northumberland, with 1,700 responses gleaned, 1,073 of those from the project region.

Coun John Riddle represents the Kielder area as part of the Bellingham Ward. The fourth-generation farmer, who has been a councillor since 1989, said in April 2024 he did not support plans to bring back the big cats, and his opinion remains the same 16 months on.

Coun Riddle did not engage with the Missing Lynx Project's consultation, and says that this was the case for many of his peers despite the project taking a group of farmers to Germany and Switzerland so they could learn firsthand about how lynx and livestock could coexist.