Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
328. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to implement a national survey of hare and rabbit populations to determine the prevalence of RDH2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23560/20]
View answerAn outbreak of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD2) occurred in Ireland in mid to late 2019. It has been detected in the Irish hare and both wild and domestic rabbit populations. RHD2 was first identified in France in 2010 and has since spread globally. It is caused by a Lago-virus and is extremely infectious.
Although it bears no risk to people, its potential impacts on the rabbit and hare populations are detrimental. While its effects on the Irish hare population are largely unknown, the impact on rabbits in other countries have been widely published with significant local and regional declines seen in some areas. There have been anecdotal reports of rabbit population declines in Ireland as well, but we do not have the data to support these and rabbits are known to be vulnerable to a number of different diseases, including myxomatosis.
While the rabbit is not a protected species it is an important part of wild ecosystems and a vital source of food for several protected species such as stoats, buzzards and eagles.
The Irish hare is one of our native mammals and is protected under both national and EU legislation. If RHD2 was to become widespread in this species, the impacts on its conservation status could be catastrophic.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department, with the assistance of the Veterinary Laboratory Service in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) are collaborating on a national survey to assess the level of spread of this disease around the country. The survey will examine 500-1,000 rabbits taken from hunting bags at different locations in every county of Ireland. The rabbits sampled will be those ordinarily taken by licensed hunters in the course of their normal leisure shooting, pest control or crop protection. These rabbits will in turn be tested to see if they are either carrying the disease or if they have been exposed to this disease. Due to the nature of this project, the NPWS & DAFM have sought the assistance of the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) in gathering samples from every county.
The survey will provide data on the prevalence and distribution of the disease in Ireland, but will also help us to learn more about the potential for rabbits to recover and develop immunity from the disease. The results of this survey will also allow us to better understand the risk of spread of RHD2 into hares.
The aim is for all samples to be collected and submitted to local Regional Veterinary Laboratories before the end of October. Lab analysis will follow and is expected to take several months. The survey results will be published as soon as they are available.
