A FRESH row is brewing over the proposed reintroduction of six Eurasian lynx to Kielder forest.

Lynx UK Trust has claimed that 100 per cent of landowners, responsible for 700sqkm, which it has approached, have given their go-ahead for reintroducing the apex predator to the area.

However, the National Sheep Association has disputed the claims and argued that the trust had not made the distinction between landowners and farmers.

The Lynx UK Trust believes that reintroducing the wildcat for a five-year trial would boost tourism and help to control wildlife, while the NSA fear the predator would target sheep.

Chief scientific adviser for the Lynx UK Trust, Dr Paul O’Donoghue, commented: “I think the support from landowners speaks volumes for the confidence in the trial reintroduction plan.

“Literally every landowner we have approached has given permission.”

He also claimed that the National Sheep Association’s concerns about a “perceived threat” to sheep had no basis.

“The union has avoided every opportunity to engage with the project and seem to have no interest in their members benefiting from the extensive opportunities a reintroduction could bring,” he added.

However, NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: “With no detail of the individuals claimed to be supporting them, all we can do is dispute this latest information from Lynx UK Trust. The majority of farmers we’ve spoken to there are opposed to the release.

“It may be that Lynx UK has not drawn the important distinction between landowners and farmers, as land in that area is frequently farmed by tenants.”

Mr Stocker said the NSA had always put forward influential arguments against the reintroduction of the lynx, based on experiences from farmers in other European countries.