Farmers and tourism

SlowBlowin

I live near a small village in Kerry (Sneem). Tourism is huge here, yet the lanes leading off the village square often have dead foxes hanging off the barbed wire (there are 3 on the lane to my house today). These are the same lanes that 1000s of tourists walk to admire the beauty of the area.

The village spends a lot of money on their "Tidy Towns" work, and are always asking for suggestions/ideas to improve the image of the village.

I often tip off local farmers when I see a fox on their land, and understand the requirement to protect livestock, but is it technically necessary to display dead and rotting corpses everywhere ? If its a matter of spreading the scent could then not hang them in trees away from the road or am I missing something ? Is this common throughout Ireland ?

Melodeon

To the best of my knowledge, it's more likely to be hunters with permission on the lands letting the farmer/owner see that they're fulfilling the vermin control side of their agreement.

Birdnuts

Melodeon wrote: »

To the best of my knowledge, it's more likely to be hunters with permission on the lands letting the farmer/owner see that they're fulfilling the vermin control side of their agreement.

Yes - pretty standard practice in many rural parts. TBH I would be more concerned about littered beaches, large industrial conifer plantations etc. when it comes to what tourists might find a turn off in rural Ireland

SlowBlowin

Yes I regularly do my bit on the beaches, and TBH they are pretty clean and tidy. Not much can be done about the forestry, without huge efforts, but this is an easy and quick win, no effort involved in hanging your fox 20ft away from the road. If the only reason for doing it is to let the farmer know then maybe a phone call would be better ?

Also as its generally accepted that foxes carry Neosporosis, is this practise not helping spread the disease ? As far as I know the advice is remove carcasses within days to combat the spread. There are cattle in the fields where the dead foxes are hung.

gozunda

SlowBlowin wrote: »

Yes I regularly do my bit on the beaches, and TBH they are pretty clean and tidy. Not much can be done about the forestry, without huge efforts, but this is an easy and quick win, no effort involved in hanging your fox 20ft away from the road. If the only reason for doing it is to let the farmer know then maybe a phone call would be better ?

Also as its generally accepted that foxes carry Neosporosis, is this practise not helping spread the disease ? As far as I know the advice is remove carcasses within days to combat the spread. There are cattle in the fields where the dead foxes are hung.

OP are you originally from the area?

grassroot1

Seems to be a bit of a push on f and f to stir up difficulties between the farming community and the hunting community in the last few days think this is just another one

SlowBlowin

gozunda wrote: »

OP are you originally from the area?

No, been here 8 years, I am from rural wales.

SlowBlowin

Ok so I can see where this is going, I am going to be branded as anti farmer etc, something that is not true.

Times are a changing and as fox control is necessary, could it not be done in a more tourist friendly manner, thats all I asked (see first post). Now I am being asked where I am from etc, and apparently part of a "push".

As people are now jumping on this and turning it into something its not can a MOD delete it please.

SB