While the Irish Deer Commission said it supports reducing deer numbers through culling, it said it felt that decision making was being led by “landowner or political pressure”. “We await the conclusion of these deliberations and any recommendations that may come from it,” said the correspondence seen by The Journal. It added that “the department understands that a considerable amount of work” has taken place in the forum and that there has been “very positive collaboration across all interested parties”. However, correspondence sent to the Irish Deer Commission by Minister Malcolm Noonan’s office said that the forum had been “ably” monitored and it awaited the recommendations.
Neither department responded when contacted by The Journal. It is understood the strategy forum’s recommendations on the country’s deer population are imminent. The latter department has responsibility for the area through the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The forum was launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Similar numbers also said the population was damaging biodiversity and others complained about damage to farm crops and road safety.ĭeer can also cause issues for farmers and have been linked to TB outbreaks in cattle in recent years. These range from where “deer are shot and dumped in the countryside”, or an increase in poaching of the creatures.ĭamien Hannigan, spokesperson for the Irish Deer Commission, said “ill-informed” and “hate-filled” commentary were part of attempts to reduce a “protected and iconic species to the level of vermin”.Įarlier this year, 86% of 1,500 respondents told the first major public consultation into the impact of deer that a cull was needed of the national herd. The group said it has spoken out partly because of an “increase in the number of poaching or violent” incidents it has received over the past year. The department, in correspondence seen by The Journal, has contested this stance and expressed confidence in the deer forum’s work. They have sought an urgent meeting with the government’s Heritage Minister who has responsibility for the Open Culling Season Order for wild deer, Green Party TD Malcolm Noonan.
In its intervention, the Commission, which is made up of hunters and conservationists, said it found views being put forward during the Deer Management Strategy group’s meetings which were “not linked to any scientific or other evidence”, often promoting the culling of female deer with dependent young earlier in the year. Over 55,000 deer were culled in Ireland in 2020 by 6,500 licensed deer hunters. The Irish Deer Commission said it fears the forum will soon propose the hunting of female deer with dependent calves earlier in the shooting season, thereby leading to the risk of an “inhumane death due to starvation” facing young deer. AN EXPERT GROUP participating in the government’s strategy for managing Ireland’s deer population has hit out at the process, describing the talks as having “no links to any scientific evidence” in how it’s reached its conclusions.
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