While welcoming the appointment of a programme manager to the Deer Management Strategy, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has said that "real progress" is needed in reducing deer population.

Farm Relief Services (FRS) has been awarded the role following a tender process by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

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.

Deputy President of ICMSA, Eamon Carroll, said that while this is further progress towards achieving a sustainable deer population in Ireland, there needs to be "real action on the ground" this year.

“Initially, this was a Wicklow issue, then it spilled into counties surrounding Wicklow and now it’s a nationwide problem, with farmers from every corner of the state expressing genuine concerns about the growth in the deer populations and the negative impact this is bringing across a range of questions," Carroll said.

The ICMSA deputy president said the process now needs to be "accelerated" across the country, specifically in Co. Wicklow, which has "an unsustainable deer population".

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 are also one of the main hosts of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in Ireland, with levels of the disease rising since 2017.

Provision figures from DAFM indicate that by December 29, last year 6,142 herds were restricted on a 12-month rolling basis and total exchequer spending on TB soared to €100.616 million in 2024.

According to the latest quarterly report from DAFM on ‘National Bovine Tuberculosis Statistics’ one of the key factors for the increased spend on TB is a year on year increase in relation to the On-Farm Market Valuation Scheme (OFMV).