Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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251. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action he will take to protect the health and welfare of farm animals given the current deer population and associated tuberculosis levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19045/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s view is that insofar as TB is concerned the primary underlying problem in localised areas where TB levels are high is driven primarily by badgers and not by deer. International research has shown that deer as a species are not particularly effective as maintenance hosts for TB except when numbers are high. An exercise conducted in 2007-2008 in an area with known TB infection in deer, focussed on identifying the strains of TB in cattle, deer and badgers, found a significantly higher prevalence of the disease in badgers than in either cattle or deer.

I would note that responsibility for the management of wild deer in the State under the Wildlife Acts rests with the Minister for of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the control of deer on private property is the responsibility of individual landowners. Landowners may apply to the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht for permission under section 42 of the Wildlife Acts to cull deer where this is necessary outside the annual open seasons.

In an effort to address concerns around the linkage between TB and deer, my Department in consultation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service has conducted post-mortem sampling of deer carcasses for the presence of TB in the Calary area of Co. Wicklow where relatively high levels of TB in deer has been reported. The project also involves identifying the strains of TB for comparison with that found in cattle and badgers in that specific area. Mindful of the commitment in the Programme for Partnership Government to address individual TB blackspots, further consultations have recently taken place between officials of the two Departments to further this work and a range of options are currently being considered.

Additionally, it should be noted that hunters supplying wild game to Approved Game Handling Establishments (AGHEs) must be trained in animal health and hygiene relevant to wild game. By law, hunters must report suspicion of contagious disease (e.g. TB in deer) to the relevant competent authority, either my Department or the Local Authority Veterinary Service (LAVS). Based on existing evidence, from AGHEs and reports from trained hunters, TB levels in wild deer are, with the exception of Co. Wicklow very low nationally.