Dáil Éireann

Andrew Doyle TD for Fine Gael and, Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture Food and the Marine has welcomed the launch of the Deer Management Report in Ireland – A Framework for Ireland in addition to the announcement of the membership of the Deer Management Forum.

“The range of actions addressed in the report ensures that deer are managed in accordance with accepted international principles and standards of sustainable deer management. I am delighted that the series of stakeholder consultation exercised has led to a large degree of consensus in identifying some of the key actions identified in the report”

“Deer Management is defined as the integrated management of deer populations in balance with the carrying capacity and land use objectives of lands where deer exist. The production of the report aims to balance the demands of agriculture, forestry and conservation. The development of management strategies should always recognise the importance of conserving wild deer species as part of Ireland’s rich natural heritage and biodiversity, while also recognising the needs of the agricultural sector. It is very pleasing to see that this premise is acknowledged in the report.”

“Conflicts between deer and land management have been apparent in Wicklow for many years and I welcome that the work and insight of the Wicklow Deer Management Group (WDMG) is being recognised for its collaborative approach in enabling consensus among stakeholders in the issue of deer management.

“Wicklow is a recognised ‘deer hotspot’ and the joint approach to deer management, adopted by the WDMG, in existence now for 16 years, has gladly helped to lead to the beginning of a national deer management policy.

“I would like to commend Ministers Humphreys and Hayes for their work in highlighting the importance of deer management through this report and plan. I also wish to acknowledge the work of the previous Minister Jimmy Deenihan who was instrumental in getting the issue of deer management on the agenda and for being proactive in ensuring that both Departments of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Agriculture, Food and the Marine work together to develop a comprehensive strategy.

“The Forest Service, Coillte, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, together with relevant stakeholders, have been working on policy recommendations relating to deer conservation and management.

“The establishment of the Irish Deer Management Forum to implement the various actions listed in the Report is a very important component of the plan comprising of representatives from the main stakeholder areas such as landowners, forestry, hunting and conservation organisations as well as representatives from Departments of Agriculture and Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

“The Irish Deer Management Forum will require terms of reference, decisions on relevant membership, and an agreed operational programme for 2015 – 2018”, concluded Deputy Doyle.

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow/East Carlow and Chairman of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee, Andrew Doyle, has led an Irish agriculture and food delegation in Luxembourg ahead of the St Patrick’s Festival. Deputy Doyle was accompanied by committee member Deputy Michael McNamara, the Ambassador of Ireland to Luxembourg, Peadar Carpenter, also joined in the Auchan event which was hosted by Auchan’s Director, Otto Gardin.

“Ireland currently exports €10 billion worth of food and drink products. Agriculture is the largest indigenous industry in Ireland and employs 167,000 people, from farming to food packaging, with the food sector accounting for 46,100 jobs alone. There are around 140,000 farms across Ireland with an average size of 32.7 hectares. There are around 7 million heads of cattle, 5 million sheep and 1.5 million pigs in Ireland.”

“It is a testament to our producers to view various Irish produce on display, including smoked salmon, mussels, cheese and various alcoholic drinks, including whiskies, ciders and stout.”

Following a Monday evening with Luxembourg’s Minister for Agriculture, Viticulture and Consumer Protection, Fernand Etgen, the delegation had meetings at the European Court of Auditors and with the Agriculture Committee of Luxembourg’s Parliament on Tuesday. In the afternoon they visited the Auchan hypermarket in Luxembourg-Kirchberg which will host a large presentation of Irish food and drink from next Tuesday 10 March.

“It was a very satisfying to see Irish produce displayed on shelves on Europe. The beef industry itself is very significant and the recent opening up of the US and Chinese markets to Irish beef bodes extremely well for the industry. The US is a significant market and sales to China are expected to commence by the end of 2015.”

Pictured: Andrew Doyle TD, Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture Food and the Marine, the Ambassador of Ireland to Luxembourg, Peadar Carpenter, Deputy Michael MacNamara at Auchan hypermarket in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, March 2015.