Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 November 2009
358 Deputy Tom Sheahan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason he has not supported advice given by a judge regarding the dispute between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Killarney jarveys; if he will explain the correspondence (details supplied) to NPWS on 1 November 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40066/09]
View answerMy Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is seeking to resolve the issue of horse dung in Killarney National Park by requiring that jaunting cars must be equipped with dung-catching devices when entering the Park.
On 29 July 2009, the High Court refused to grant an injunction to a number of jarveys seeking to prevent NPWS from excluding them from Killarney National Park for their failure to use dung-catching devices. In a comprehensive judgment affirming the action of the NPWS, the judge recommended that the parties should move forward in a peaceful way, and, in that regard, the NPWS put in place an independent facilitator to facilitate the introduction of the dung catchers. In the event, however, the jarveys refused to engage with the person appointed.
There has been a long process of consultations, over some two years, with the Jarveys. In addition, practical trialing of the devices has been carried out and repeated demonstrations of their use have been provided by NPWS. These demonstrations, backed up by expert equine and veterinary advice, show that the dung catchers work and are safe to use. The NPWS made its experts available for discussion and consultation but this was not availed of by the jarveys who did not engage in any meaningful way on this issue.
The issue of dung in Killarney National Park has been a matter of public concern for many years and there have been different views on how to deal with it. Following a long consultation process with the Jarveys, my Department prepared a report outlining the different views and the pros and cons of alternative options; a decision in relation to this matter was taken in February 2009 on the basis of this report.
