'The situation is very serious,' excessive deer population causing problems in Tipperary

There is a serious deer problem in Offaly and North Tipperary, and many people are demanding that the issue be tackled by carrying out a cull.

Wild deer numbers throughout Ireland have risen sharply in recent years, which has been exacerbated by the reduction in hunting and deer management activity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The high deer numbers are linked to Bovine TB outbreaks in many herds of cattle, bringing devastation in their wake. Overgrazing by deer is also a serious pressure and threat for native woodlands across Ireland.

Another problem is the hazard they pose to road users.

Tipperary TD and Chairperson of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee Jackie Cahill, last week welcomed the deer cull proposal being brought before Cabinet by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

On Thursday 21st, during their monthly meeting, the councillors of Nenagh Municipal District praised Deputy Cahill and added their voices to the calls for action.

Cllr Michael O'Meara pointed out that North Tipperary and South Offaly is overwhelmed with deer. “The place is teeming with them,” he commented.

“I was talking to a couple of deerstalkers recently and they told me about the ins and outs of what a deer cull would involve.

“The situation is very serious. I know farmers whose dairy herds have been decimated after the cattle caught TB from the deer. The impact is not just financial, but mental as well.”

“It's certainly had a major impact on people's livestock in Lower Ormond,” commented Cllr Joe Hannigan. “The deer population is increasing and spreading at a serious rate. I've been told that if a deer gets TB then it's alienated by the other members of its herd.

“We never had deer in the Puckaun/Kilbarron region until about five years ago. Before there were pockets of deer here and there as well as deer in Portumna Forest Park, but now they are everywhere. We have no choice. They have to be culled.”

Cllr Rocky McGrath, Cathaoirleach, said proposals to introduce wolves to deal with the problem were “not sensible”. The councillor said his car was nearly hit by a stag while driving at night. “It was frightening,” he said. “The speed and size of the stag were massive.”

Cllr Ger Darcy pointed out that up until about five years ago the numbers of deer in North Tipperary were small and posed no issue.

“Now it's a very different story. They are a serious hazard on our roads. They can weigh from a hundred to two hundred kilos.

If your car hit one of them it could cause serious damage to your car.

“They also often damage fencing on farms.”

Last week Deputy Cahill said that he was “delighted to hear that Minister McConalogue will be bringing a deer cull proposal before Cabinet shortly. This is long overdue, and it is essential for a variety of reasons. One major issue many of us are familiar with, myself included, is the huge number of accidents that have occurred as a result of deer crossing on roads."

Deputy Cahill said that from a deer welfare point of view, their habitats were seriously overpopulated which was resulting in a lack of forage, and this was also driving them to travel outside of their habitats.
He said that the deer population needed to be restored to optimal levels to ensure they had sufficient forage to flourish within their habitats.

“This deer overpopulation is also a major contributing factor in the increasing rates of TB in cattle. Deer are straying from their habitats, mixing with cattle, and spreading the infection. A deer cull will be a significant step towards the control of TB in our bovine herd.”