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2nd February 2023
12:53pm GMT
Spokesperson for the commission Damien Hannigan stated:
"Over the last five years, over 200,000 wild deer were culled in Ireland under licence from the NPWS, highlighting the important role licensed deer hunters play in managing deer at sustainable levels to minimise negative impacts on farming, forestry, and the wider ecosystem. "The Irish Deer Commission actively works with landowners who suffer negative impacts from wild deer. We also support the various agencies who deal with an increasing number of deer vehicle collisions on our roads through a network of trained members.”Despite this, the Irish Deer Commission said that, because a population census for wild deer has never taken place and their population numbers are unknown, calls for culls are "often ill-informed". "It has been suggested certain land use sectors have engaged in extensive political lobbying to have more deer culls increased, seasons changed without regard for animal welfare, or an attempt to reclassify our wild deer as an invasive species without understanding this would cause deer to spread further and become more difficult to manage," it added. "Deer management experts have stated it is crucial deer management decisions are well founded and based on factual scientific data, and not as a result of political or land use sector pressure." For more information, visit the Irish Deer Commission's website right here. Header image Shutterstock This article originally appeared on joe.ie READ NEXT: Planning lodged for a mountain bike centre and café in Wicklow