Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 June 2021
212. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will request that an up-to-date report on deer management in the Wicklow mountains is carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29996/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe management and control of deer populations is a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
In 2015, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, together with the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht, which at the time was the parent Department of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), published "Deer Management in Ireland – A Framework for Action" which recommends a series of actions on deer management and conservation in a number of areas, including addressing the impact of deer in places where they are abundant. The Irish Deer Management Forum was established to implement the various actions listed in the Report.
The Department and the NPWS as joint contracting authorities signed a three-year contract with the Wicklow Uplands Council in August 2018 for deer management services in the Co. Wicklow region. The overall objective of this pilot project is to test good practice in deer management in the Wicklow region, with a long-term aim that project results could be replicated in other regions in the State.
Several Deer Management Units have been established as part of this contract. These units are in charge of implementing agreed deer management plans in accordance with approved standards in their respective areas. The contractors are collecting data and establish baseline data on damage levels caused by deer as part of the project’s workplan.
The Department also introduced a Deer Fencing and Tree Shelter Scheme to protect forests from predation by deer in 2018 as deer can cause serious damage to trees, particularly in native woodlands.
