In an aim to protect the UK's 'much-loved' red squirrels, Prince Charles, patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, has backed plans to kill their grey counterparts.
Alongside government, forestry officials and some conservationists, the Prince agreed to undertake a renewed push to reduce grey numbers.
Owen Paterson, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, told the meeting at Dumfries House: "Red squirrels are a much-loved, but threatened, part of British wildlife. I fully support this accord and endorse the need to work together to revive our iconic red squirrel population, and encourage the planting of new broadleaved woodlands."
There are around 5 million greys in the UK, with numbers of reds estimated at 120,000-140,000 – 75% of which are in Scotland. Reds have decreased massively in number since a Victorian banker introduced a pair of greys after returning from a business trip in America. Greys carry a poxvirus that is deadly to reds, and are stronger and larger too.
Charles Kinnoull, the chairman of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, said the meeting had an air of "optimistic determination".
"If something's being wiped out because of the over-abundance of another, you need to take action. It's been a very torrid few decades [for the reds]."
He said the main way of controlling greys was by trapping them in cages and then "humanely disposing" of them. "It's the only real economic way of doing things. If you set out with a gun you could be waiting around for hours."
Chris Packham, the BBC presenter and naturalist, told the Guardian he believed work on developing a vaccine to make reds immune to the poxvirus was the only long-term solution.
"Our chance to fully eradicate grey squirrels passed at some stage in the 1920s or 30s. The economic damage they do is limited and localised, such as to tree nurseries. Regarding their control, this should be strictly focused on the specific areas where they actively transmit the pox virus to the reds for the simple reason of costs alone. Killing greys where they do not threaten crops or infect reds is a complete waste of money, time and energy - it's pointless vandalism," he said.
