STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
The growing wild deer population in Leitrim has become a significant issue, especially for farmers across the county. In September, the IFA announced plans to cull the deer population following a notable increase.
In November of 2024, Cllr Paddy Farrell called on Leitrim County Council to take immediate action to address the growing “pandemic” of wild deer.
At the February meeting of Manorhamilton municipal district, Cllr Justin Warnock emphasised the need for action, suggesting that deer fencing should be part of the solution.
He proposed a motion requesting that the municipal district write to Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, Minister with responsibility for Forestry, to make deer fencing mandatory for all applications related to afforestation and tree felling licences.
“The spotlight is on a lot of issues in relation to forestry but I’ve mentioned fencing for deer for the last 10 years,” Cllr Warnock said.
He pointed out that now is an opportune moment, as the ongoing problems with deer and deer fencing are frequently being discussed.
“The problem is that they have this habitat that they can get into and stay in it for 20 or 30 years from when it’s planted,” he said.
He stressed that for forestry to be taken seriously, the installation of deer fencing is essential. “If deer fencing were installed, the setback would be much further back than it is currently,” he added.
Cllr Warnock’s motion was supported by Cllr James Gilmartin, who highlighted the issue from a farming perspective.
“The road safety aspect of it is very important and also the farmer aspect in relation to TB. As soon as forestry is felled, deer start moving and you can follow a pattern of where the TB is following,” Cllr Gilmartin said.
“That’s a massive issue as well and should be joined in with the thinking on that,” he added.
READ MORE: Major Leitrim project moves forward with construction set for summer
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
