IRELAND could follow Australia’s approach to managing deer numbers and “eliminate the problem” senators heard today (Wednesday May 13).
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food met today to discuss how deer numbers have increased dramatically in recent years and the issues this in turn creates for farmers and landowners.
According to Teddy Cashman, chair of the Deer Management Strategy Group, it is important that Ireland takes a “sustainable management” approach to the national wild deer population.
He told committee members that the increase in population “necessitates a response to reduce deer numbers to more sustainable levels to prevent negative impacts on forests, biodiversity, road safety, agriculture and animal health.”
Cashman also warned there are deer hotspots in Ireland including counties Donegal, Wicklow and Kerry.
Last year, Farm Relief Services (FRS) was awarded the role of Deer Management Strategy Program Manager, following a Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine tender process.
According to Cashman, it has “made good progress” since its inception.
He explained to the committee that the number of deer being shot under a license had increased under Section 29 deer hunting licenses and Section 42 serious damage permits.
“The number of deer shot under Section 29 during the 2023/2024 season was more than 69,000, which represents an increase on the previous season and the number of deer shot during the 2024/2025 season was more than 79,000 – an increase of about 10,000 deer.
“In addition, the number of serious damage permits under Section 42 increased from 850 in 2019 to 1,339 in 2025,” Cashman added.
Deer population
The head of the Deer Management Strategy Group told lawmakers and senators that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) manages deer on its lands.
“The latest figures show that since the 2024/25 season, approximately 3,751 deer have been culled by the NPWS in national parks and nature reserves,” he added.
According to Cashman, having “adequate game handling/storage facilities” in locations that need to manage deer populations is vital to developing a sustainable wild venison industry.
He told the Oireachtas committee that funding had been sought and approved to purchase five cold rooms to store bodies in various locations to preserve the bodies and enable game handlers to “collect multiple bodies for more efficient handling”.
“An incentive to encourage hunting of small, low-value deer, thereby reducing the reproductive potential of the deer population, is something we would like to see and hope to submit a proposal to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine soon,” Cashman added.
Australian approach
Separately, Colin Donnery, CEO of Farm Relief Services Co-Op (FRS), suggested to panelists that there was a phrase “eat the problem” in Australia.
“If we get there and the problem is solved by selling venison, everyone will be happy,” Donnery added.
However, he said there was currently no “tracking system” for venison and the FRS was trying to put that in place.
Donnery told House members and senators that he conducted market research “on the opportunities for venison, and to look at new ways to market venison.”
“We have had a very positive engagement with Bord Bia and the meat processing industry to begin investigating venison market opportunities,” he added.
FRS’s CEO said it is focused on improving data collection and reporting on deer numbers.
“Historically, one of the biggest barriers to effective deer management has been the lack of reliable, common data on population density and cull numbers.
“To combat this, we have invested in a dedicated IT system for our deer management program, including developing a mobile application called DeerConnect, which will allow hunters to pinpoint deer sightings and track deer kills,” Donnery said.
It is believed this will provide “important data” on the geographical spread of deer in Ireland.
“The DeerConnect app is currently in live testing to test its functionality, with a small number of users actively using and testing it at the moment,” Donnery said.
