Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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1103. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has carried out any analysis of the impact on biodiversity of culling badgers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29398/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s current bovine TB Eradication Programme which incorporates a wildlife programme which includes both culling and vaccination of badgers operates in line with national and international scientific research and advice. A large body of peer-reviewed research has been conducted into the spread of TB in Ireland and the risks underlying its transmission.

While there has been no specific analysis carried out by my Department into the impact on the biodiversity of culling badgers, research has been carried out of the impact of badgers and their setts on components of Irish biodiversity such as habitat creation, seed dispersal and predation.

In Britain, studies have associated culling with local increases in fox and hedgehog numbers, but no consistent impact on bird communities (including ground nesting birds), it is not possible to apply these studies to the Irish wildlife situation.