CWS1 Grant, the New Government Deer Strategy, and Why WILDFORCE LTD Is Your Essential Partner in 2026
Introduction: A Landmark Moment for Deer Management in England
February 2026 marks a turning point for deer management in England. On 20 February, the government published its long-awaited Deer Impacts Policy Statement — a 10-year plan to address the damage that ballooning deer populations are inflicting on woodlands, habitats, agriculture, and biodiversity. Alongside this, the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) action CWS1: Deer Control and Management now offers landowners meaningful grant funding to take structured, professional action.
For farmers, foresters, landowners, and conservation managers, the combination of new policy direction and new funding creates a rare window of opportunity. But accessing it effectively — and compliantly — requires expert guidance.
That's where WILDFORCE LTD comes in.
The Scale of the Problem: Why the Government Has Finally Acted
The headline statistic from the government's own press release says it all: one third of England's woodlands are now estimated to be damaged by deer. According to the Bunce survey — the largest woodland survey of its kind — this figure has risen sharply from 24% in the early 2000s. The problem has not just continued; it has accelerated.
The consequences are wide-ranging and severe:
Woodland regeneration is being suppressed, with excessive deer browsing and trampling preventing young trees from establishing
Ground flora diversity is collapsing, with flowering plants essential for pollinators and fruiting shrubs that support mammals like dormice being stripped out
Nightingale populations have declined by more than 90% since the 1960s, with deer-driven habitat degradation identified as a key contributing factor
Fen and wetland habitats are under pressure, with surveys of the Norfolk Broads showing over 10% of rare fen habitat impacted by deer
Crop and timber losses continue to mount across farming and forestry operations nationwide
Three of the six deer species in England are invasive non-native, including Reeves' muntjac, Chinese water deer, and sika deer, whose unchecked spread is intensifying pressure on sensitive ecosystems
Nature Minister Mary Creagh was unequivocal in the government's statement: "Our trees and native wildlife are under huge strain from deer damage, including from non-native deer species."
The government's response is the most comprehensive deer management policy commitment England has seen in a generation.
What Is the New Deer Impacts Policy Statement?
Published on 20 February 2026, the 10-year Deer Impacts Policy Statement outlines a package of practical measures designed to give land managers the tools and support they need to act quickly and effectively. Key commitments include:
1. Dedicated Deer Officers
The government is expanding the network of dedicated deer officers — working through the Forestry Commission and Natural England — to provide clearer, more accessible advice and coordination for landowners. These officers will also support landscape-scale management planning across multiple land holdings.
2. Grant Funding via CSHT
The new CSHT scheme provides funded routes for landowners to cover the costs of professional deer management activity. CWS1 is the primary action for this — more detail below.
3. Streamlined Licensing — Including Night Shooting
One of the most significant changes in the strategy is the commitment to streamline licensing processes for deer management, including potential changes to night shooting and close season licensing. This will allow land managers to tackle deer pressure more flexibly where there is a clear and evidenced need — without the bureaucratic delays that have historically slowed action.
4. Research and Innovation
The government will support investment in drone surveying technology to identify national priority areas and target landscape-scale action more precisely. This signals a clear direction of travel: evidence-based, data-driven deer management is the future.
5. Support for the Wild Venison Market
To offset the costs of lethal deer control, the government is also backing the British Quality Wild Venison Standard and exploring the use of public procurement to increase consumption of wild venison. Forestry Commission Chief Executive Richard Stanford put it plainly: "We can all help in this endeavour by eating wild venison, the most climate-friendly red meat there is."
CWS1: The Grant You Need to Know About
CWS1: Deer Control and Management is a management action within the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme — England's most ambitious agri-environment funding programme, sitting at the heart of the Environmental Land Management (ELM) framework.
What CWS1 Pays
£105 per hectare per year, over a 10-year agreement.
For landowners managing significant acreages of priority habitat where deer are causing demonstrable harm, this is a substantial funding stream — one that can offset a meaningful portion of professional deer management costs over the duration of the agreement.
What CWS1 Is For
The aim of CWS1 is to reduce the harm deer are causing to priority species and habitats, supporting those habitats and species to thrive.
The action is available on eligible land where:
Native or naturalised deer — European roe deer, red deer, or fallow deer — are causing harm to priority habitats and species, or
Invasive non-native deer species — Chinese water deer, Reeves' muntjac, or sika — are present
This broad eligibility means CWS1 is relevant to a wide range of land types across England, from ancient semi-natural woodlands and SSSIs to arable farmland, heathland, coastal habitats, and more.
What CWS1 Requires You to Do
To receive payment under CWS1, agreement holders must demonstrate active, structured management. This includes:
Producing a Deer Management Plan (DMP) in collaboration with your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer, informed by a baseline assessment of deer habitat impact and activity
Installing and monitoring deer exclosures to track browsing pressure over time, with locations agreed with your deer officer
Carrying out agreed culling activity as specified in the DMP
Annual habitat impact assessments with photographic evidence and a graded impact summary submitted to the relevant authority
This is not a passive grant. It requires structured, ongoing management — and that management must be delivered to a professional standard.
CWS1 and the WS1 Woodland Supplement
For landowners with woodland in their CSHT application, the WS1 Deer Control and Management woodland supplement (also at £105 per hectare per year) can be applied to eligible woodland parcels where deer have been identified as a threat to semi-natural woodlands or woodland regeneration. CWS1 and WS1 together can provide significant stacked funding where both farmland and woodland habitats are affected.
How to Apply
CSHT is delivered through a structured pre-application process, working with Natural England or the Forestry Commission (or both). Applications are now open on a rolling basis following the scheme's full launch in 2025. Given the complexity of CSHT applications — which require site-specific ecological justification, Deer Management Plans, and close liaison with advisers — the case for working with an experienced consultant from the outset is overwhelming.
How WILDFORCE LTD Unlocks CWS1 for You
Making a successful CWS1 application and delivering a compliant, effective management programme requires the full range of skills that WILDFORCE LTD brings to every engagement. Here's exactly how they can help:
Baseline Deer Surveys and Impact Assessments
CWS1 requires a baseline habitat impact and activity assessment before a Deer Management Plan can be agreed. WILDFORCE LTD conducts rigorous, methodology-led surveys — including thermal imaging, trail camera networks, vegetation impact scoring, and walked transects — to produce the robust baseline evidence your Natural England or Forestry Commission adviser will need.
Without strong baseline data, your application is weak before it starts. WILDFORCE LTD's survey work gives your application the evidential foundation it needs.
Deer Management Plan Preparation
A Deer Management Plan (DMP) is not a template exercise. It must reflect the specific ecological conditions, deer species present, land use objectives, and cull targets for your site. WILDFORCE LTD's ecologists and deer stalking professionals have the knowledge and experience to produce DMPs that meet the requirements of Natural England and the Forestry Commission — and that are actually deliverable on the ground.
CSHT Application Support
Navigating the CSHT application process — including action selection, capital item eligibility, land parcel mapping, and compliance with scheme rules — is a significant administrative undertaking. WILDFORCE LTD works alongside landowners and their agents to ensure that CWS1 (and any complementary CSHT actions) are incorporated correctly and compliantly into the broader agreement.
On-the-Ground Culling Delivery
Once an agreement is in place, WILDFORCE LTD provides qualified, accredited deer stalking services to deliver agreed cull targets across your land. All management activity is carried out by British Deer Society (BDS) or Deer Management Qualification (DMQ) accredited professionals — the standard required for CSHT compliance.
Annual Monitoring and Reporting
CWS1 requires annual habitat impact assessments with photographic evidence and graded impact summaries. WILDFORCE LTD manages this monitoring and reporting cycle on behalf of agreement holders, ensuring that compliance is maintained and that management is adapted year on year in response to emerging population and habitat data.
Night Shooting and Close Season Licensing
As the government's new deer strategy moves to streamline night shooting and close season licensing, WILDFORCE LTD is positioned to advise on and facilitate licensing applications where these tools are appropriate — ensuring that additional management levers are used legally, effectively, and in accordance with your DMP.
Venison Supply Chain Connection
WILDFORCE LTD supports the sustainable utilisation of harvested deer as high-quality wild venison — connecting landowners with game dealers, larder operators, and the British Quality Wild Venison Standard certification pathway. This not only generates an economic return on management activity but supports the government's stated goal of growing the UK wild venison market.
Is Your Land Eligible? Key Questions to Ask
To assess whether CWS1 is likely to be relevant for your holding, consider the following:
Are you experiencing browsing, bark stripping, fraying, or trampling damage to priority habitats, trees, or ground flora?
Are you aware of muntjac, sika, or Chinese water deer on or near your land?
Do you have woodland, heathland, fen, grassland, or coastal habitat that could qualify as a priority habitat under Natural England criteria?
Are you already in a CSHT agreement, or planning to apply in 2026?
Have you had contact from Natural England or the Forestry Commission about pre-application advice?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, CWS1 deserves serious consideration as part of your land management and funding strategy.
The Bigger Picture: Aligning with the Nature Recovery Agenda
The government's new deer strategy doesn't exist in isolation. It sits within a broader and increasingly ambitious policy framework that includes:
The Environment Act 2021 and its Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements
The England Trees Action Plan, which aims to increase woodland cover to at least 16.5% of total land area by 2050
The revised Environmental Improvement Plan (December 2025), which sets out targets for nature recovery across England
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and CSHT as the twin funding pillars of the new ELM approach
Effective deer management is increasingly a prerequisite for achieving positive outcomes under all of these frameworks. Landowners who get their deer management right — with professional support, evidence-based plans, and appropriate grant funding — are those who will be best placed to access the full range of agri-environment funding available in the years ahead.
Conclusion: The Window Is Open — Act Now
The publication of England's new 10-year Deer Impacts Policy Statement and the availability of CWS1 funding under CSHT together represent the most favourable conditions for professional deer management that England has seen in decades. Funding is available, policy is aligned, and the urgency of action has never been clearer.
WILDFORCE LTD has the expertise, accreditation, and track record to help you access CWS1, deliver a compliant and effective Deer Management Plan, and contribute to the national effort to protect England's woodlands, habitats, and biodiversity for generations to come.
Don't let this opportunity pass by. Contact WILDFORCE LTD today for an initial consultation and take the first step towards a funded, professionally managed deer programme on your land.