Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

614. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the progress made by the deer management strategy group; the number of deer culled as a result of its work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35511/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Irish Deer Management Strategy group was established 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. It published a report 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.

A programme manager was appointed earlier this year and the locations of the local deer management units have been recently finalised.

The programme manager, through the local deer management units, will be liasing with licensed hunters and landowners in relation to the management of deer populations within the deer management units. Deer can continued to be culled by appropriate licensed hunters within the hunting season and with the use of Section 42 licenses issued by the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) outside the hunting season.