In recent days, sika deer have been declared an alien, invasive species and must be culled. I have been highlighting the damage these deer do for more than 25 years. Every day, they cause carnage on roads. Many people have been killed, injured or maimed and cars have been damaged and broken and are no longer any good. Farmers are adversely affected. Sika deer are spreading TB, damaging and devouring crops and breaking fences. Farmers are being robbed daily by these deer. When will this Government - and the Minister is a part of it - begin the complete cull of the sika deer as has been ordained by the EU? It is our duty. We have to comply with all the other things the EU brings forward and we have to contend with them.

I thank the Deputy.

It is now saying the sika deer will have to be culled. When will the Government begin the cull?

I call the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, to respond.

The Deputy is 100% correct in raising this very serious matter because it is a matter of major concern from the point of view of road safety and the spread of TB, although the Department does not acknowledge it to be the major cause he and I would agree it is. We have situations where we did not have TB before and we did not have deer. Now we have deer and we have TB.

To answer the Deputy's question, as he knows, the Department has engaged a contract with regard to the culling of deer, which is ongoing. We would like for it to be going ahead at an accelerated rate and quicker than it is at present. We both have our personal views on what the total cull should be because it should be up to 70%. We have a bit of a battle on our hands trying to convince everybody else it should be at that figure. The Deputy’s concern is right-----

I thank the Minister of State.

-----and it is a matter this Department and Government will continue to keep on top of. If nothing else-----

The Minister of State’s time is up. I call Deputy Kenny.

-----in the interests of road safety and the number of accidents we have on our roads every day because of deer straying on to public roads.

According to the EU-----

I call Deputy Kenny.