Urgent Call to Action for Ireland’s Deer Stalkers!
We are writing to you with deep concern and a heavy sense of responsibility. Recent Government actions—through Statutory Instrument No. 374/2024—pose an unprecedented threat to Ireland’s wild deer and to the future of sustainable, ethical deer management in this country. While we have known about this SI for some time, in recent days we have seen testing of the waters from government.

The Government has chosen to classify Fallow and Sika deer as Invasive Alien Species, a designation normally relevant as a prevention measure or species who have been recently discovered. This is despite their centuries-long presence in Ireland and their naturalised role in our landscape since 1184 and 1860 respectively. This reclassification paves the way for deer to be treated not as valued wildlife, but as vermin—an approach that is both scientifically unfounded and morally unacceptable.

The consequences are stark and deeply troubling:

• Potential eradication measures for which no humane or practical methods exist.
• The possible removal of existing open seasons, jeopardising all sustainable deer management.
• The risk of rushed unscientific decisions driven by misinformation rather than ecological reality.

This is a moment that demands unity, urgency, and strong collective action.

We urgently ask each of our members to contact their local TDs and Senators. Your voice matters—your first-hand knowledge, your experience on the ground, and your commitment to ethical wildlife stewardship carry enormous weight.

Please use the link below to find contact details for your local representatives or to contact all TDs directly, we have also included a link to suggested text for your email, and a website link to share this information at the bottom of the post.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/contact-us/

Tell them:

• To raise this matter with Ministers Christopher O’Sullivan and James Browne and seek an urgent meeting with the Irish Deer Commission and other relevant stakeholders.
• That eradication is neither achievable nor humane.
• Ask that the lawful EU Derogation is applied to this SI.
• That Ireland already has a functioning, science-based management system.
• That SI 374/2024 threatens wildlife welfare, public trust, and Ireland’s conservation reputation.

Every message counts. The future of Ireland’s wild deer now depends on immediate, collective action.

Thank you for standing with us at this critical moment.

Irish Deer Commission

http://irishdeercommission.ie/urgent-call-to-action-for-irelands-deer-stalkers/

Good question..Esp if you consider the Phoenix park deer herd.

The Government has chosen to classify Fallow and Sika deer as Invasive Alien Species. From the Irish Deer Society….So I guess…

Add to that magpies and pheasents and Ivy plants.Grey squirrels and Sika are a Victorian later addition.

But all in all how long does an animal have to be here before it is considerd native? As said without a survey of actual numbers in the 26 counties we can't say exactly how many deer there are per county level and what should be an ideal number. .Also deer dont obligeingly stay in one area and I have a theory about these so called hotspots. What happens if say I see in one part of the country as a farmer see a herd of 40 odd deer on my fields and four days later maybe 2 miles down the road I'm chatting with a neighbour who says he had the more or less same amount on his land,and a week later another lad says he had the same amount,more or less visiting his place? Add a couple of other locals in a 10/20? km area. Conclusion the place is over run with deer and it needs culling! When in fact all of us have been looking at the same herd of fourty! But because maybe four people saw +/- 40 deer the number count is 160 +/-deer for a 10/20kilometer area in an Irish county. Hence to be anyway effective a cull needs numbers to deploy people effectively, esp with our approved shooting methodology here.

Also, next question,what are we going to do with all this venison?I don't belive for an instant that there is a massive Uk/EU mainland demand either,considering they have their own hunters and quite frankly a much more scientific methodology of numbers counts and game management and culling and harvesting than our Wild west situation here. Plus,if NZ apprently can supply both Aldi and Lidil with farm raised venison that is culled for the velvet off the antlers which is used in Chinese medicine throughout the EU.I cant see how and where we are going to dispose of it?