Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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260. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on the control measures on the feral mink population in Munster; and the success rates of same. [32834/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Wild mink are not a protected species and they can be controlled by farmers, landowners, game shooting clubs and others.

A study commissioned by my Department, published in 2009, estimated the population of wild mink in the State could reach a total of between 20,500 and 33,500 individuals, and identified ground-nesting birds as the species most vulnerable to mink predation. In this regard, and as full eradication is not considered possible at this time, my Department is concentrating its priorities on protecting the nesting sites of rare and threatened bird species, including vulnerable seabirds, waders and terns, corncrake, and grey partridge, from a range of predators, including mink. My Department carries out predator control programmes on land it owns or manages and this includes mink where the need is identified. In Munster, the Blasket Islands have been targeted as they are important for breeding manx shearwater which nests in burrows.

My Department has also provided funding to the NARGC as well as mink traps to local groups in some areas to assist them in their work and will continue to target trapping in priority areas within the resources available.