Dáil debates
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
National Parks
12:00 pm
Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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I, more than anyone, want dung removed from roads in Killarney National Park for the benefit of parents, children and other visitors to the site. However, the Minister and his representatives in the National Parks and Wildlife Service in Killarney are taking a heavy-handed approach to the issue. Mr. David Muir who recently travelled from England was introduced as an equine expert but stated himself that he was an equine consultant as opposed to expert. No one is better placed to judge this issue than the experts who have been driving horses in Killarney National Park for up to 46 years.
Equine sanitary devices, otherwise known as dung catchers and nappies, have been used in other countries on four-wheel carriages but will not work on a two-wheel trap or side car. I suggest Mr. Muir, who introduced these devices to jarveys in Killarney, has a conflict of interest because he designed and produces them. Moreover, by his own admission, these devices only have an 80% success rate.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has two sweepers in Muckross House in Killarney National Park. If their services were used more regularly than heretofore, the use of equine sanitary devices would not be necessary.
I ask the Minister to reconsider his decision in this matter. I will accept the expertise of those who have been driving horses for as many as 46 years before accepting the opinions of the Minister's staff in the National Parks and Wildlife Service who have probably never been on a horse. I have seen horses bolt. The devices, which are attached to the trap and tied to the breeches of the horse, will not work in the undulating topography of Killarney National Park and could interfere with the braking system on a two-wheel car.
I ask the Minister to refrain from taking a heavy-handed approach and not to lock out jarveys if they do not have equine sanitary devices attached on 8 June. Jarveys and horse drawn carriages have been used in Killarney National Park since 1929. Other issues pertaining to the Minister's portfolio need to be addressed with greater urgency than the matter we are discussing. While I want horse dung to be removed from the roads of Killarney National Park, this objective could be achieved if the park's management deployed its staff for sweeping duties on a regular basis rather than intermittently, as is the case at present.
I cannot stand idly by while the Minister seeks to introduce regulations, probably by means of ministerial order, to lock out jarveys who have been operating in Killarney National Park for 80 years. Men who have been driving horses for up to 46 years have informed me that equine sanitary devices could interfere with the braking system of a car. If a horse were to bolt, the safety of passengers, the driver and pedestrians in the national park would be placed in jeopardy. This issue can be addressed by using brushes fixed to the back of a tractor.
Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to discuss this important issue in the House. Killarney National Park is managed by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government through its National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS. The national park is internationally renowned for its beauty and its richness in wildlife. It is protected under European Union directives and has UNESCO biosphere reserve designation. The park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, some of whom are in the Visitors Gallery, and can be truly classed as one of Ireland's crown jewels. All of this demands that the National Parks and Wildlife Service manages the site to the highest standards. The Department devotes considerable time, energy and resources to achieving these standards.
One of the enduring features associated with the area are the jaunting cars which provide popular horse-drawn tours throughout Killarney town and its environs. In the national park up to 45 jarveys operating 66 jaunting cars ply their trade under licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service across a network of some 15 km of internal roads. An unfortunate consequence of so many horses frequenting the park is that the roadways are consistently fouled with horse dung. The presence of this untreated dung in the park has long been a concern from the point of view of aesthetic, environmental, tourism and health and safety grounds. While the jarveys can add to the visitor experience, the soiling of roads in the park is no longer acceptable. Moreover, it should be noted that the roads are maintained and cleaned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service at taxpayers' expense.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has been engaged in a lengthy consultation process with the jarveys since the end of 2007 to consider how best to deal with the issue. As part of this process, it carried out trials with a mechanical sweeper and dung catchers. The dung catcher option, preferred notably on cost, effectiveness and noise grounds, was also the subject of tests by a leading United Kingdom based equine expert as well as a leading veterinary consultant. The outcome, including as a result of practice trials and consultations with experts, is that dung catchers work effectively, work in various terrains, are easy to operate and do not compromise animal health or welfare. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has continued to meet the jarveys and sought to allay any concerns regarding usage and animal welfare through demonstration of the device. It has also offered to provide the dung catchers free of charge.
The Minister is confident that the dung catcher device is the way forward. These devices are already in widespread use in many European cities. After more than a year of consultations, the National Parks and Wildlife Service had hoped to have them in use in the national park for the start of the main 2009 season. It is not unreasonable that the service should proceed with the date selected for their introduction, namely, 8 June. From this date, jarvey licences will have a new condition added which requires that equine sanitary devices be used.
While the dung catcher requirement is to apply to the national park only, the Minister is hopeful that Killarney Town Council will follow this example and introduce similar controls for the town where the soiling of streets is also a problem. He asks all jarveys to support the new arrangement which will raise the high standards of Killarney National Park even further. This objective can be achieved at negligible cost and disruption to the jarveys themselves.
Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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I have documentation from a chartered health and safety practitioner as well as from Brennan Insurances which states the devices will not work. Will the Minister of State pass it on to the Minister?