Minister of State, Malcolm Noonan, has said his department sees “the hunting sector as doing important work for conservation” as a major public consultation to review and update wildlife legislation in Ireland gets underway.
The Minister with Responsibility for Nature, Heritage, and Electoral Reform, told the Dáil that his department is committed to consultation with “relevant interested parties in relation to ongoing policy decisions on hunting and conservation”.
But Minister Noonan also highlighted that “as member of the European Union, Ireland is obliged to comply with various directives and regulations that relate to conservation and game hunting”.
The Independent TD for Wexford, Verona Murphy, had questioned the minister in the Dáil yesterday (Thursday, June 27) in relation to the creation of a new stakeholder forum which had been recommended following a review of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in 2021.
Deputy Murphy said this forum had an implementation deadline of September 2022, which had not happened and called for it to be established “without delay” and for the minister to ensure that it “fully include rural interests, such as those of the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC)”.
Noonan
In response Minister Noonan told the deputy there was “ongoing communication on a wide range of issues pertaining to the work of the NPWS”.
He also pointed to the fact that a sustainable hunting of wild birds stakeholder forum had been set up earlier this year and said this forum would “facilitate discussions and collaboration across relevant sectors on the issue of sustainable hunting”.
Minister Noonan also told Deputy Murphy that he sees the NARGC “as an important stakeholder in the conservation of wildlife”.
He has also urged “all interested parties to submit their views to the public consultation on Wildlife Legislation which is open until September, 13 2024.
“This is an extensive review and is a multi-year project.
“It is examining closely the effectiveness of our legislation in protecting wildlife and regulating activities that adversely impact on wildlife and biodiversity,” the minister told the Dáil.