Reintroducing wolves and lynx to the Britain’s countryside has been ruled out.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said, “we just don’t need to, and we won’t”.
Speaking at the National Farmers’ Union, she added:
“We’ve got plenty to do with habitats that need improving and expanding.
“Yes, we do want more breeding sites for wild birds.
“Yes, we do want to make sure that raptors are not persecuted and people who take them down get prosecuted.
“I also welcome the focus from many police forces on hare coursing.
“But that is why I won’t be supporting the reintroduction of species like lynx or wolves.
“You just don’t need to, and we won’t.”
Wildlife campaigners want to see the animals reintroduced as part of a nationwide re-wilding scheme.
Wolves and lynx traditionally kept down the country’s deer population – which has now exploded in numbers.
Lynx Trust UK and the Wildlife Trust have called for the lynx to be brought back to Kielder Forest in Northumbria.
However, farmers expressed concerns the release could hit their livestock.
A potential release of wolves would be in Scotland.
Rewilding Britain says that “while there is sufficient habitat and wild prey for the establishment of wolves in parts of Scotland, Wales and England, at present there are no plans to reintroduce them.”
An NFU spokesman said:
“Any species introduction, particularly if it has not been in this country for hundreds of years, can have a massive impact on the many benefits that the countryside and farming delivers.
“This potential impact needs to be fully understood before any reintroduction can be considered.”