Mr. Teddy Cashman:

Yes, it is a multiple of that. You have to look at the impacts on an area and base your targets on that. I cannot give the Cathaoirleach an exact figure but it will be based on the local impacts on an area and a focused job being done in a focused area. The biggest issue from the point of view of tackling and managing deer is the consistency of approach, for example, the same guy coming in every year doing the same job. We know what he is doing and the farmers involved know what deer are shot on their ground. There is communication going on.

There was quite a good case study done in south Galway between a number of farmers, a local co-ordinator and the local IFA. The National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC, brought in hunters. They have been doing something like a deer management unit there for the past two years because there was quite a large impact by deer. They have had a consistent approach for, I think, two years now and they have brought down the numbers. They have been meeting and having discussions on it and everybody knows what is going on. That is why the collaboration among groups is so important.

It is a big job. Training and education is nearly as important as anything. It is important that when you bring people in at the start, everybody knows what is happening, why it is happening, who will do it, who will pay for what and how we will go about it. It will have to be replicated across the country if it is going to work.