Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the approximate total number of deer in the State; and to outline the work of the Deer Management Strategy Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52910/25]

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.

The locations of the deer management units (DMUs) have been finalised and put in place. The locations of the DMUs is in response to what might be referred to as deer hotspots. These DMUs aim to give the best geographic coverage in order to reduce the density of deer in these areas.

My Department does not maintain records in relation to the number of deer in the State.