Scottish Natural Heritage launches bid to block beavers from damming Meigle Burn

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is attempting to beat Perthshire beavers at their own game by installing a “water-gate” in the Meigle Burn.

The reintroduction of the rodents in Scotland has been met with resistance due to the damage damming causes to farmland across the country.

Since May, shooting or moving of beavers is only allowed under licence, managed by Scottish Natural Heritage.

SNH is proposing a more humane solution to keep beavers away from crops by blocking one of the streams up which they swim.

The water gate is a sturdy metal grill which allows water to pass downstream but cannot be breached by creatures heading upstream.

In a report sent to council planners, SNH states it has “the primary aim of preventing beaver activities, especially dam building, from having serious impacts on the prime agricultural land in that area and in relation to increasing flooding risk for local houses and businesses.

“The water-gate will have to be a very robust, secured barred structure placed in-stream that cannot be burrowed underneath. There will also need to be lengths of fencing, linked to the gate which will run along the bank sides to stop beavers by-passing the screen.”

Water-level monitoring equipment would also be built into the gate.

The plan has been cautiously welcomed by Conservative MSP Alexander Stewart.

He said: “Beaver populations across the region have become increasingly controversial since the animals were illegally reintroduced to the wild around 12 years ago and only recently a Scottish Natural Heritage report revealed that more than 400 animals were now thought to live in the area.

“As we know, their lodges and dams can flood farmland, costing farmers and land managers thousands of pounds every year, as they are forced to walk river banks and deal with damage to woodland.

“If we are to introduce control measures, they must be simple and easy to use with no onerous conditions or additional costs placed on farmers or land managers – neither should it cause harm to the animals – and I will observe with interest as to how this SNH proposal progresses.”

Perth and Kinross Council consider the proposals in the near future.