Road safety calls to cull roaming deer

So far, 5,500 licences have been issued by the NPWS for deer hunting.

Deer roaming the roads have caused many deaths in Kerry, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was told during a Dail Debate on road safety.

Danny Healy-Rae, TD (Ind), said deer have left many cars and vehicles in smithereens and many people are not covered by insurance.

“We in Kerry cannot carry on with the increased number of deer. They are everywhere, in droves. They are on every road in the county. They are even coming into towns and villages," he said.

"In the domain in Killarney, they are knocking over rubbish bins. They are emanating from the national park and forests, many of which are State owned.

"The number of deer has also resulted in a rise in Lyme disease because they are carriers. Many people do not report accidents.

"Farmers' crops and grasses have been ravaged by these fellows. Given the cost of fertiliser, life is unbearable for many farmers,” he said.

Deputy Healy-Rae called for a serious cull of the deer population in the county like they are supposed to be doing in Wicklow.

Stressing that road safety has to be of paramount concern for everyone, the Taoiseach said he was shocked at the number of lives that have been lost on the roads so far this year.

“There are many aspects to road safety, including car safety, the quality of roads, speeding, behaviour and education. I accept that animals on the road can be a road safety risk," Mr Varadkar said.

"The constituency I represent is very different to that of Deputy Healy-Rae, but we have a significant number of deer in Phoenix Park. They sometimes get out and cause road safety issues.

"I can understand how deer that are not enclosed could cause road safety concerns and potentially result in very real problems around the country,” he said.

The Taoiseach said a deer management forum works between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. So far, 5,500 licences have been issued by the NPWS for deer hunting.

Explaining that the NPWS culls deer in national parks and that there is also a system for landowners, he said: “We do not believe that a national cull programme is needed, but the forum will report on this shortly and will make further recommendations.”

Deputy Healy-Rae said he was not satisfied with the response from the Taoiseach and called for a cull to control numbers.

“In Kerry, we have lost many lives, through people swerving and hitting trees. That is a fact. Large stags have landed on bonnets.

"Roads in Kerry are not safe, morning, noon or night. Deer are even going down into Valentia Island, Gneeveguilla and Scartaglen.

“At any hour of the day or night, people cannot travel on the roads. I am calling for a serious and immediate cull.

The Government is talking about increasing penalty points and reducing speed limits, but we have to deal with this threat on our roads.

"After all, Sika deer are only vermin, and that is the truth of it. We like our red deer and do our best to maintain that herd. Sika deer are encroaching on their space."

Mr Healy-Rae said the 5,500 licences to control deer numbers "was not nearly enough".

"We need more like 100,000 licences in order to get rid of the deer that are in droves all over the county," he said.

"Our roads need to be made safe for the people who are travelling on them. They are doing their level best and what is being allowed to happen on our roads is not fair," he said.

"If a farmer let a calf onto a road, his house would be claimed from him if he did not have insurance to cover the animal."

The Taoiseach said he might ask Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, to engage with Deputy Healy-Rae.

“He has advised me that we need to cull significant numbers of deer over and above the 60,000 deer which have already been culled,” he said.

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan (FF) Cork North-West also recently asked Minister of State Jack Chambers (Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport) to outline his engagement with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) regarding the danger of wild deer on the roads.

Minister Chambers said the Department engages with the RSA on an extensive range of road safety matters.

“On the specific issue of the dangers of deer on the roads, there has not been any direct engagement with the Authority,” he said.

He said appropriate road signage regarding deer or other wild animals is the responsibility of the local authorities.

However, Minister Chambers said the RSA provides a range of safety campaigns on several types of hazards to road users.

It also facilitates road safety training and education campaigns in schools and wider communities to promote safe road use for all users.