Mr. Tom?s Bourke:

I get that. A question was asked by Deputy Carthy on whether the Department recognises that deer play a role in TB. Until very recently the answer to that was unequivocally "No". We have started to see a significant change in the mindset. The studies carried out in Wicklow five to six years ago found 16% prevalence in the deer that were examined. It was subsequently found that the strain was the very same as the one in cattle. Finally, the Department has accepted that deer have a role to play. The sequencing of the TB outbreaks referred to by earlier speakers has also found that it is the exact same strain of TB that is circulating in the badger, deer and cattle populations. The science is unequivocal. There is no hiding place from the perspective of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It is no coincidence that the deer strategy group has been re-established. It has a significant job of work to do; the solution being simply to reduce the number of deer. As we already heard from the national media, we have broader issues with deer in terms of road safety.

On whether we can eradicate TB, that is the objective. As I alluded to earlier, if we are serious about eradicating it, we must resolve the issue in wildlife. We will not eradicate TB while we continue to have an under-resourced wildlife control programme. The question for the Department is whether it is prepared to put the necessary resources into the wildlife control programme to achieve the outcomes we all want and to save not only the national Exchequer but farmers millions of euro every year. The solutions are before us. The tools are there, and they have been proven to be effective. They are just not being implemented effectively on the ground.

Deputy Kehoe asked two questions about the specifics of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Coillte. Ms Mooney, who has direct experience of those bodies and is from Wicklow, will comment on that.