Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill has called for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to carry out an extensive deer cull after he was involved in a road accident on Sunday night.
The Tipperary TD was travelling home in the dark when a deer jumped out in front of his car, although he wasn’t injured in the accident, his vehicle did sustain some damage.
However, speaking to Agriland, Deputy Cahill said this type of accident “has unfortunately become a common occurrence” and that the growing deer population now poses a serious road safety risk.
The growing population has also resulted in other issues including environmental damage and a number of welfare issues for the animals themselves. He said:
“Road safety is a huge issue and the second thing is they’re actually damaging their own habitats, they’re overgrazing them and doing damage to the mountains.
“They’re straying out of their habitats from a hunger point of view and they’re definitely contributing to the spread of bovine TB, there’s no doubt in the world of that.”
The deputy, who has been campaigning for action to be taken on this issue since 2009, said that the NPWS should begin the deer cull in Co. Wicklow, a county which has long been a hotspot for deer overpopulation.
“Wicklow is seriously overpopulated, there’s a serious amount of deer that need to be culled, you’re not talking about 5,000 or 6,000 you’re talking about a multiple of that.
Deputy Cahill said that a census should then be taken in other parts of the country alongside research into how many deer the natural habitats can support. Then a cull should take place to bring numbers down to that figure, he said.
“I do not want to eradicate deer at all, they are part of the Irish landscape and you know they should always be in the country.
“But at the moment, they’re becoming a vermin rather than something that’s admired, so we have to do something,” the TD clarified.
He confirmed that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has established a working group on the issue, which is being chaired by Teddy Cashman.
The Deer Management Strategy Group is currently exploring what can be done to manage the issue and launched a public consultation on December 22, to inform the next phase of their strategy’s development.
“He’s a very solid individual so I’m sure he’ll tackle this as needed,” stated Deputy Cahill.
The final date for the public to submit feedback as part of the consultation is February 10, 2023 at 5:00p.m.