Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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1719. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the establishment of local deer management units, as per the Deer Management Strategy Group recommendations; the locations of each of these units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20040/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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My Department, along with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage established the Irish Deer Management Strategy group to develop a strategy for the sustainable management of deer in Ireland. The Group comprised representatives from my Department, National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Coillte. A report was published into “Developing a Sustainable Deer Management Strategy for Ireland” in December 2023.

The report listed 16 Actions, 8 of which are recommended in the short term and 8 of which are recommended in the medium term. These recommended actions address a wide range of issues from hunter training and forest design to land use management and the venison market. The report concluded that a formal structure was required to manage deer in Ireland, which involved the appointment of a Programme Manager to implement the recommendations of the report and the establishment of local deer management units in known hotspot areas.

My Department is committed to progress the implementation of the actions identified by the Irish Deer Management Strategy Group (IDMSG) in this report. The Programme Manager, who has been appointed, will work closely with the IDMSG, my Department and the National Parks and Wildlife Service in prioritising and implementation of the short term recommendations identified in the report. The location of the 15 local deer management units is currently being finalised, these units will be located in areas of greatest deer density.