The Mayo branch of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) has said it is alarmed at “the increasing numbers and spread” of wild deer across the county.
Mayo INHFA chairperson Seamus Cosgrove said there is a need for “comprehensive action to tackle the issue”.
“This action will need to include critical stakeholders such as the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS); the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and forestry companies, including Coillte, in a planned cull of the deer population,” he said.
“While a small number of people may have an issue with the idea of such a cull we must recognise that there is a pressing danger around animal and public health, and especially in relation to road safety.
Cosgrove said that the expanding numbers of wild deer is a “major issue” in north Co. Mayo, but that the INHFA is noting increases in other parts of the county, citing increasing forestry cover as a cause of this.
He also suggested that forestry felling is also displacing deer populations.
“While deer hunting licences have been issued over recent years there is a need for a more coordinated approach to deliver the outcomes necessary,” the INHFA Mayo chair said.
He said that working with the Irish Deer Management Strategy Group can bring about the coordinated approach the INHFA is calling for.
“Nationally, we have the Irish Deer Management Strategy Group, which was established to address this growing problem. This group has made a number of recommendations including the extension of the hunting season and, as we look to address this problem in Co. Mayo, it is critical that we work with this group…[that] can help in developing this coordinated approach,” Cosgrove said.
Wild deer management
In related news this month, recommendations of the deer management strategy group are set to be implemented through a tender from the department.
The department is seeking a programme manager to implement the recommendations of the group, which previously published a report containing 15 actions to address challenges from the deer population.
The appointment of a manager and the establishment of local management units in so-called “hot spots” for deer populations were among the recommendations in the report.
The department is looking for a programme manager to implement the recommendations of the group for three years with the option to extend the term for up to 12 months with a maximum of one such extension.
The tender explains that the programme manager shall establish, manage and administer up to 15 deer management units (DMUs) and appoint a local coordinator in each DMU.