The grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)—a UK historical perspective on a vertebrate pest species

The paper reviews from archival sources the experience gained by the UK Agriculture Departments in combatting the damage caused by an alien species, the grey squirrel. Insights are provided into the circumstances and significance of the Grey Squirrels Order, 1937, wartime regulations, the free cartridges and tail-bonus schemes and grey squirrels (warfarin) Order of 1973. At times pro-active, policy was more usually driven by the need of Ministers to be seen responding to pressure from farming and forestry, as communicated through such powerful political figures as the Prime Minister himself, Harold Macmillan. Such instances of debate as to the optimal level of pest regulation afforded opportunity not only for scientific study, but for scientists themselves to participate in discussion as to the weight to be given in policy-making to the knowledge, understanding and powers of prediction thereby gained.