The formal process to appoint a manager for the national deer management programme is due to get underway in the coming weeks.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed to Agriland that a tender is currently being prepared for the position.
The department added that the tender will also include the establishment of 15 local deer management units across the country.
Deer management
In December, the Irish Deer Management Strategy Group (IDMSG), which is chaired by Cork dairy farmer Teddy Cashman, published a report containing 15 actions to tackle ongoing issues with deer.
The appointment of a manager and the establishment of local management units in so-called “hot spots” for deer populations were among the recommendations in the report.
“These recommendations in particular are key to the implementation of the wider Deer Management Strategy report,” a DAFM spokesperson said.
They added that the tender is “expected to be launched in the coming weeks”.
Following a separate recommendation in the report, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) announced an extension to the open season for hunting deer in Ireland.
The revision of the Deer Open Seasons Order extends the hunting season for Red Stags (excluding in Kerry), Sika Stags and Fallow Bucks so that the season will begin on August 1, each year and end on April 30, of the following year.
It also extends the hunting season for Red Hinds (excluding in Kerry), Sika Hinds and Fallow Does – and antlerless deer for each species- so that the season would now end on March 31, each year.
Earlier this month, the first phase of a new initiative developed by the NPWS to bring deer hunting licence applications online was launched.
Applications for a deer hunting licence for the coming season can now be submitted to the NPWS through a new licensing portal.
Those applying for a deer hunting licence for the 2024/2025 season will be the first group to avail of the new online system.