The Deer Alliance, acting in conjunction with the Wild Deer Association of Ireland and the Irish Deer Society, recently made a presentation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Culture in relation to the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010, which is nearing finalisation in the Oireachtas.

Section 3 (2) of the Bill provides that it shall be an offence to hunt deer with two or more dogs.

The Deer Alliance, WDAI and IDS are of the opinion that this provision, if it becomes law, will impact negatively on the practice of deer stalking and on efficient and humane control and management of wild deer, as it will affect situations where dogs can be used to track shot or injured deer, or where dogs are used to drive deer off farmland.

Discussions, which were initiated by WDAI, are ongoing. All Joint Committee members present at the hearing, which took place on Tuesday 25 May 2010, appeared to support the views expressed by the delegation. A full transcript of the proceedings has been made available to the participating deer organisations.