Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 November 2018
6. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will consider not renewing or limiting the terms of permits issued to the Dublin Airport Authority for the culling of hares for 2019. [47221/18]
View answerMy Department’s primary interest in relation to the hare is its conservation status. EU Directive 92/43/EEC (the Habitats Directive) requires Ireland to make a detailed report every six years on the conservation status of all listed species, including the hare. Ireland’s most recent report in 2013 included a comprehensive assessment of the range, population status, habitat and threats for the Irish hare. That report stated that the Hare is found throughout the country from coastal habitats to upland heath and bog. The Hare is widespread and common in Ireland with a broad habitat niche. None of the identified threats were considered likely to impact on its conservation status in the foreseeable future and the Overall Conservation Status was assessed as Favourable.
My Department has commissioned a new assessment of the status of hare’s population in Ireland. The work to inform this population assessment has already begun. The survey is using hundreds of camera traps deployed across all habitat types and in every county of Ireland. The final report is due in mid-2019.
Aviation safety is of paramount importance for any airport authority and all airports must manage hazards, including hazards presented by wildlife, to ensure the safety of airline passengers, their staff and the local communities.
Wildlife safety risks associated with airports include the risk of ingestion by birds into an aircraft engine while on arrival, departure or close to the airport and the risk of a ground incident on or close to a runway where hares or other animals could be accidentally struck or otherwise killed which could result in further birds being attracted to the area.
Dublin Airport Authority has a strategy to deal with these issues. In the case of birds, the primary method of control is through the growing of grass at a length which deters certain species, undertaking bird scaring activities or as a last resort, the shooting of a bird. In the case of hares, the primary method of dealing with safety risk is through capture and relocation of the hares. This is done in co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department. As licences are needed under the Wildlife Acts to capture hares, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has issued a number of permits in recent years under the Wildlife Acts to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to remove hares from the Dublin Airport airfield due to potential damage to aircraft and the threat to passenger safety. It is understood that over the last 4 years in excess of 480 hares have been captured and released in this manner.
I understand that following a serious safety incident involving hares in 2017, the Dublin Airport Authority decided that measures additional to catch and release were needed and that it would be necessary to cull some hares which were located in the grassy islands around the runway where it is considered that catches cannot be undertaken in these areas due to safety risks for persons involved as well as for passing taxiing aircraft.
While the shooting of hares is permitted under the Wildlife Acts under the Open Seasons Orders during a certain prescribed period, licences are needed to shoot at night at any time. The open season for hares is between 28 September and 28 February of the following year. The hare culls carried out by DAA were carried out during this permitted open season but my Department issued permits to the DAA to allow culling at the airport at night.
Clearly the safety of the travelling public, the staff and visitors at the airport is of paramount importance and I’m sure we all agree that one airline accident is too many. While I expect the catch and release programme at Dublin Airport to continue, I will consider any applications to cull hares at night time having regard to the safety needs of all concerned.
