This is a subscriber-only article
FRS Co-Op has appointed local coordinators to lead 15 dedicated deer management units for areas of the country that are well-known hotspots for wild deer.
FRS was handed the contract this year to implement a number of recommendations from the Deer Management Strategy Group, including to establish 15 management units in hotspot areas of the country and to appoint local coordinators to work with landowners and hunters.
The local coordinators will be engaging with farmers and landowners in each unit area to identify issues relating to deer that currently exist and to help facilitate deer management for the area by engaging with local hunters.
Michael Keegan, FRS Co-Op’s deer management programme manager, said its goal is to bring wild deer population down to a sustainable level.
“Over the coming weeks, local coordinators appointed by FRS Co-Op will be engaging with local landowners and farmers in areas of the country that have been identified as hotspots for wild deer,” he said.
“This is an important step for the establishment of dedicated DMUs in deer hotspots of the country, which was a key recommendation of the final Deer Management Strategy report.”
Deer populations
For the past number of decades, Ireland’s wild deer population has increased significantly to the point where there is no accurate data on the exact deer population in the country, according to FRS.
A survey conducted as part of the final Deer Management Strategy report found that over 80% of stakeholders identified biodiversity loss, damage to farmland and road traffic safety as either “very” or “somewhat important” issues relating to the growth in the national deer population.
“I would urge any farmers or landowners located in these deer management unit areas that are having issues with will deer to contact FRS Co-Op, and we will help coordinate and implement deer management in their area,” added Keegan.
“Additionally, I would urge landowners in deer hotspots to join a local deer management group or look to establish a deer management group for your area if one does not currently exist.”
SHARING OPTIONS: