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Shane McEntee, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility of forestry, today hosted an Information Briefing on Deer Management Policy Vision in the Department’s Laboratories, Backweston Campus, Celbridge, Co. Kildare.

The Policy Vision was prepared in response to the growing problem of increasing deer populations in Ireland. The event was attended by many stakeholders involved in the issue of expanding deer populations. Opening the Briefing session, Minister of State McEntee stated “rising deer populations are reported to be at unsustainable levels in some areas of the country, where they are causing significant damage to agricultural crops, forestry and wildlife habitats. A long term strategic policy is essential to ensure that the adverse impacts arising from wild deer in Ireland can be minimised and populations managed within sustainable limits”. In relation to the formulation of that policy, the Minister of State added, “Deer management policy must facilitate the sustainable management of wild deer populations in line with the principles of international best practice. It must take place within an appropriate management, regulatory and organisational structure, reflecting deer ranging behaviour, habitat scales, and the dynamic nature of land use objectives and practice”.

The draft policy vision document was prepared by the Inter-Agency Deer Policy Group, which was established in 2009 to develop a policy framework for the sustainable management of wild deer in Ireland. The Group, comprising of representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Coillte Teoranta and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, organised the briefing session to outline the progress since the completion of the public consultation process in November 2011 and to discuss the proposed process involved in developing and implementing a deer management strategy in conjunction with stakeholders.

Welcoming the input from stakeholders during the consultation phase, the Minister of State also commented, “Your attendance here today is appreciated as a crucial element in the development of a successful deer management system, and its implementation, is the active support and co-operation of all stakeholders”.