Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2018
959. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures in place for the control of the non-native grey squirrel (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30745/18]
View answerI am advised that the policy of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is that pest and mammal control is a matter for landowners. Grey squirrels are not a protected species under the Wildlife Acts and are considered a pest species as they cause serious damage to broadleaf trees. Teagasc outline a number of management options to reduce a woodland’s susceptibility to such damage in its Farm Forestry series of Information leaflets.
I am advised by my own Department that the spread of pine martens in recent years has been very beneficial in regard to squirrel damage. A four-year study in NUI Galway found that pine marten recovery in the Midlands was linked to a significant decline in grey squirrel numbers; and that a spin-off benefit was that the red squirrel has been able to take back its former range, including woodlands which had been dominated by greys for more than 30 years. Recent research in Scotland has confirmed similar outcomes.
