Coordinator appointed to oversee deer management unit in Mayo

FRS Co-Op has appointed local coordinators to lead dedicated Deer Management Units (DMUs) in areas of the country that are well-known as hotspots for wild deer, including a number of counties in the west of Ireland. Deer on Mayo roads have been a problem with areas near the Galway border being one location where danger to motorists is evident.

Four dedicated DMUs known as W1, W2, MW1 and MW2 have been established for counties in the west of Ireland, including Galway, Roscommon, Mayo and Sligo. The establishment of these DMU’s is part of FRS Co-Op’s contract to establish a total of 15 deer management units in areas of the country that are well-known as hotspots for wild deer. The establishment of DMU’s was a key recommendation of the final report recently published by the Deer Management Strategy Group.

FRS Co-Op was awarded the contract in February this year to implement and deliver a number of recommendations from the Deer Management Strategy Group, including to establish 15 DMU’s in hotspot areas of the country and to appoint local coordinators to work with landowners and hunters.

FRS Co-Op’s role will be to connect landowners affected by wild deer in hotspot areas with licensed hunters. The co-op will not directly employ any hunters as part of its contract but will oversee the coordination with local hunters and hunting groups who wish to participate in the deer management programme.

READ MORE: Busy month of events taking place in North Mayo National Park

The local coordinators appointed by FRS Co-Op to lead the DMUs across Galway, Roscommon, Mayo and Sligo will be engaging with farmers and landowners in the area to identify issues relating to deer that currently exist and to help facilitate deer management by engaging with local hunters.

Deer management will be implemented in hotspots areas identified across western counties with the goal of bringing the wild deer population down to a sustainable level. This will protect Ireland’s natural environment, improve biodiversity in our woodlands and other habitats, protect farmland, and contribute to improving human safety by reducing the number of road traffic accidents involving deer.

For the past number of decades, Ireland’s wild deer population has increased significantly to the point where there is no accurate data on the exact deer population in the country.

Despite this, there is clear evidence that the wild deer population has grown considerably in recent decades and led to a corresponding increase in negative impacts, including biodiversity loss, damage to natural woodlands and farmland, and increased road accidents involving deer.

DMU’s have been established in areas where the underlying data (eg native woodland monitoring, commercial forest inventories, road traffic accident statistics) demonstrate that deer impacts are particularly significant. A survey conducted as part of the final Deer Management Strategy report found that over 80 percent of stakeholders identified biodiversity loss, damage to farmland and road traffic safety as either “very” or “somewhat important” issues relating to the growth in the national deer population.

READ MORE: How much money does the Mayo University Hospital car park make?

Michael Keegan, manager of FRS Co-Op’s deer management programme, said:

“Over the coming weeks, local coordinators appointed by FRS Co-Op will be engaging with local landowners and farmers in areas of the country that have been identified as hotspots for wild deer. This is an important step for the establishment of dedicated DMUs in deer hotspots of the country, which was a key recommendation of the final Deer Management Strategy report.

“FRS Co-Op’s role is to help implement deer management in areas of the country that are hotspots for wild deer, and to act as the coordinator between landowners, farm managers, hunters, and other key stakeholders. I would urge any farmers or landowners located in these DMU areas that are having issues with deer to contact FRS Co-Op, and we will help coordinate and implement deer management in their area.

“Additionally, I would urge landowners in deer hotspots to join a local deer management group or look to establish a deer management group for your area if one does not currently exist. FRS Co-Op is available to assist landowners seeking to establish local deer management groups.”

Any landowners seeking further information on FRS Co-Op’s deer management programme can visit www.frscoop.ie/deer

READ MORE: EU Agricultural committee passes Mayo MEP's CAP proposals