Irish deer to be culled, says minister

Deer are to be culled in Republic of Ireland on the recommendation of a new report on managing wild deer populations.

The recommendations come from the Deer Management Strategy Group, chaired by dairy farmer Teddy Cashman.

It was set up 14 months ago to cover Ireland's expanding wild deer population.

"It is widely accepted that wild deer numbers have risen sharply in recent years," the report said.

It said this was in part due to a reduction in hunting during the Covid pandemic.

The Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said the growing deer population was a "considerable problem" and he would start to put the group's recommendations in place in the New Year.

Published on Thursday morning, it has 15 recommendations and will be presented to the Irish cabinet later.

"For agriculture, our natural ecosystem and our forestry ambitions it is important that we have sustainable management of the national wild deer population," he said.

"However, the impact of deer proliferation extends far beyond this to road safety, animal health, public health and not least the health and welfare of the deer themselves," he added.

The Irish Deer Commission said it welcomed the publication of the report.

"The report contains potentially positive developments such as the inclusion of deer management training in agricultural, forestry and environmental courses," the commission said.

However, it said it was concerned about statements on deer numbers when no population census had ever taken place to show whether numbers are increasing or decreasing.

"Currently a record number of wild deer are being culled in Ireland, with over 60,000 deer culled annually, and there is concern Minister McConalogue is not making this information transparent in his statements," it said.

There was consensus on the "establishment of local deer management units in known hotspot areas" and on researching the viability of the development of an independent deer management agency.

There was also consensus on reviewing the current deer open seasons order, the time in autumn and winter during which deer may be hunted.

The department said the development of the report involved a "thorough process including public consultation, stakeholder meetings and stakeholder sub-committees, which led to the formation of a series of recommendations".

"Hotspots" identified in the report are County Wicklow, with others emerging in counties Tipperary, Waterford, Donegal and Galway.

A public consultation gathered 1,500 responses, with 86% saying deer culling was needed to address the population size.

Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan said an overabundance of wild deer could have a negative impact on biodiversity, both in ancient woodlands and among newly planted trees.

He said: "Preventing wild deer from accessing these precious habitats is not easy and can be very resource intensive.

"I’m pleased to welcome this report and the pathway it sets out towards the sustainable management of wild deer populations in Ireland, which will also bring benefits for farmland, forestry and road safety, as well as nature."