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Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Fifteen wild deer 'hotspots' set to receive management units to control populations
To control wild deer populations, 15 dedicated Deer Management Units across the country have been established. Deer management will be implemented in each of the 15 hotspots to bring the wild deer population down to a sustainable level. A contract to implement and deliver several recommendations from the Deer Management Strategy Group was awarded to FRS Co-Op in February of this year, which has now appointed local coordinators to lead the 15 units. They cover areas of the country with well-known hotspots for wild deer. The Deer Management Strategy was developed in 2023 and included a range of recommendations for the ongoing management of Ireland's wild deer population to ensure it is maintained at a sustainable level. The strategy was overseen and developed by a steering group that included representatives from the Department of Agriculture, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Coillte, farmer representatives and other key stakeholders. The coordinators appointed by FRS Co-Op will work with landowners and licensed hunters within these areas. The co-op will not directly employ any hunters as part of its contract, but will oversee the coordination with local hunters and hunting groups who wish to participate in the deer management programme. The locally based coordinators for each Deer Management Unit will be engaging with farmers and landowners to identify issues relating to deer that currently exist and help facilitate deer management for the area by engaging with local hunters. Deer management units map These units aim to control wild deer populations to a sustainable level to help protect Ireland's natural environment, improve biodiversity in our woodlands and other habitats, protect farmland, and contribute to improving human safety by reducing the number of road traffic accidents involving deer. For the past number of decades, Ireland's wild deer population has increased significantly to the point where there is no accurate data on the exact deer population in the country at present. Although there is no specific data, there has been clear evidence of the growth of wild deer populations due to increased incidences of negative impacts as a result of deer populations, such as biodiversity loss, damage to natural woodlands and farmland, and increased road accidents involving deer. FRS Co-Op has established the Deer Management Units based on the available data, such as native woodland monitoring, commercial forest inventories, and road traffic accidents as a result of deer activity. A survey conducted as part of the final Deer Management Strategy report found more than 80% of stakeholders identified biodiversity loss, damage to farmland and road traffic safety as either 'very' or 'somewhat important' issues relating to the growth in the national deer population. Speaking on the announcement, manager of FRS Co-Op's deer management programme Michael Keegan said: 'I would urge landowners in deer hotspots to join a local deer management group or look to establish a deer management group for your area if one does not currently exist. FRS Co-Op is available to assist landowners seeking to establish local deer management groups.' Read More Kerry council to roll out pilot scheme to detect deer on roads in bid to prevent accidents
Agriland
20-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Lack of career progression a major challenge for farm workers
Less than 13% of farm workers believe there are career progression opportunities in farming, according to the findings of a nationwide survey. The 2025 survey of FRS Co-Op's 1,200 farm operators across Ireland shows that the majority of people who works on farms do so because they enjoy working outdoors and working with animals. However, the survey highlighted how the farming sector must find ways to reduce the level of unsociable working hours and define better career pathways for progression if it is to attract and retain workers into the future. Farm workers When asked what the farming industry needs to do to attract new talent, over 50% of farm workers cited the need for higher wages. This was followed by reducing the number of unsociable hours of work on farms and defining clearer pathways for career progression. Ireland's farming industry is increasingly reliant on external labour support, with 9 out of 10 farms now using external labour to various degrees throughout the year. Over 80% of farm workers who responded to the FRS Co-Op survey said Irish farms are better prepared for the increased workloads during the spring calving season following the expansion on farms after the end of EU milk quotas. The FRS Co-Op survey also reveals that just over 50% of its farm operators do not own their own farm. Of this cohort, almost 80% said they would like to manage their own farm in the future, suggesting there is potential to attract new entrants to the farming sector. Survey Neil Keane, head of agriculture at FRS Co-Op, said the results of the survey illustrate some of the challenges and opportunities facing Irish farming. 'On the one hand, working on a farm can have unsociable hours and many don't see a clear pathway to career progression. 'On the other hand, there is clearly a large group of people that are attracted to farming as a career for the lifestyle it offers and the opportunity to work outdoors,' he said. 'Perhaps the most interesting finding of this year's survey is that almost 80% of farm operators who do not own a farm, said they would like to manage their own farm in the future. 'This is quite encouraging as it suggests farming does have the ability to attract new entrants into the sector,' Keane added. The government-appointed Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming is set to release recommendations later this year. While the European Union announced that it wants to attract over 370,000 new farmers into the sector over the next five years. 'We need to focus on developing policies that will remove some of the barriers for new entrants who don't currently have a farm or own their own land,' Keane said. FRS Co-Op is headquartered in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, is the largest employer of farm labour in all of Europe, and has also developed significant operations in recruitment and contract training services. Founded in 1980, the business currently employs 2,000 staff and generates annual revenues of around €100 million.
RTÉ News
22-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
FRS Co-Op launches sustainability strategy
Social enterprise co-operative FRS Co-op has launched a new sustainability strategy committing to cut carbon emissions by 20% and landfill waste by half by 2030. In its first Environment, Social Governance (ESG) report, the farmer owned co-operative is also aiming to develop a biodiversity strategy with a focus on agriculture, increase their community engagement and continue to provide support to the farming and wider communities in which they operate. Founded in 1980, the group has expanded over the years and currently employs more than 2,000 people and has an annual turnover of about €100m. Among the specific commitments made by FRS Co-Op are a 20% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030, working towards a net zero target by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the company's vehicle fleet by 25% by 2030. It is also aiming for a 50% cut in landfill waste by 2030, evolving to a target of zero waste by 2050 and installing solar renewable energy panels in its headquarters and other large offices by 2026. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the Group CEO of FRS Co-Op, Colin Donnery, said its internal team has developed the strategy which he believes can accomplish its goals. "By 2030 we think we will achieve that, obviously the bigger goal is to reach net zero by 2050 which will ultimately depend on outside forces such as technology and so on," he said. "Where we see ourselves making a big difference is through both our own supply chains and onto our customers. We've replaced all our fencing materials with sustainable fencing materials to improve our fencing products," he noted. "We run some of the largest government programmes in biodiversity, we manage the national soil sampling programme and have sampled over 13,000 farms measuring carbon to support farmers, " the CEO said. "We also just started on the National Deer management strategy, which is I suppose, an important biodiversity programme to reduce the impact the increase in deer is having on our biodiversity across the country," he added. The commitment by members to take part in the scheme is voluntary and Mr Donnery said they will support farmers to reach their own targets. He said it has been a challenging couple of years for farmers and they will continue to support them further.
