FRS awarded tender for deer strategy programme manager
Farm Relief Services (FRS) has been awarded the role for Deer Management Strategy programme manager, following a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine tender process.
The appointment of the programme manager was a key recommendation of the Deer Management Strategy Group, chaired by Teddy Cashman.
The programme manager will now be responsible for the establishment of 15 local deer management units.
This is the culmination of several months work of the Deer Management Strategy Group, the department said.
The development of the strategy group's report involved a process including a public consultation, stakeholder meetings and stakeholder sub-committees which led to the formation of a series of recommendations.
Overgrazing by deer is a pressure and threat for native woodlands in Ireland, including the woodland types listed under the EU’s Habitats Directive.
Deer densities in Co. Wicklow in particular, but also in parts of counties Tipperary, Waterford, Donegal and Galway, are above a sustainable level for land management activities and are impacting on farming, forestry, nature conservation and biodiversity.
In September 2022, the then Minister for Agriculture (Charlie McConalogue) appointed Teddy Cashman as an independent chairperson to lead the development of a renewed vision and strategy for the management of wild deer in Ireland.
The Irish Deer Management Strategy Group was then set up with representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS); and Coillte.
The group published a final report that recommended, among other things, the appointment of a manager and the establishment of local management units in so-called “hot spots” for deer populations.
Commenting on the awarding of the programme manager tender to FRS, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said: "For agriculture, as well as our nature ecosystems, it is important that we are aware of the need for the sustainable management of our national deer population.
"These include the protection of biodiversity; newly planted forestry, pasture and crops; road safety; animal health; public health; and not least the health and welfare of the deer themselves.
"The appointment of a deer programme manager is an important milestone in the sustainable management of our national deer population. I wish the programme manager well in their work and I look forward to their implementation of the deer management strategy under the guidance of the Deer Management Strategy Group," Minister Heydon added.
Minister of State for nature, heritage and biodiversity Christopher O'Sullivan said he is eager for that work to start as soon as possible.
Minister O'Sullivan said: "Since the introduction of the Wildlife Acts, the range and number of red deer, sika deer, and fallow deer have increased significantly across Ireland.
"Overgrazing by deer is now a serious pressure and threat in our national parks and nature reserves and for native woodlands across the country...Nonetheless, there are encouraging signs that sustained regeneration of native species can occur if the grazing pressure is reduced."
The chair of the Deer Management Strategy Group, Cashman, said: "The programme manager is key to implementing the recommendations of the Deer Management Strategy Group and I look forward to working with FRS over the coming years making this a reality."
