IFA Countryside

Click or tap on the button below to check your 5km radius from home to comply with the restrictions on movement put in place by the  Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 REGULATIONS UPDATE

As of midnight Wednesday 21 October, all of Ireland will be placed on Level 5 of the plan; Living with COVID.  Level 5 restrictions will remain in place for a period of 6 weeks.

IFA Countryside has written to the Government seeking clarification on restrictions as they relate to game hunting and we await a response.

In the meantime, it is advisable to familiarise yourself with Level 5 restrictions https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/.  Breaches of COVID-19 regulations will be penalised.

It is our understanding that placing the country at level 5 restrictions will have the following implications for country sport activities:

• People are permitted to exercise within a radius of 5km of their home. There will be a penalty from movement outside of 5km of your home. There are certain defined exceptions including for farming purposes ie food production and/or care of animals.  See full list here

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/#domestic-travel-restrictions.

• It is possible to meet with one other household in an outdoor setting which is not a home or garden, such as a park, for exercise.
• When taking exercise outside, it is important to maintain two metres distance from others and washing hands on returning home.
• There should be NO organised indoor or outdoor events ie no club or syndicate gatherings

On the above framework, one concludes that an individual may engage in country sport activities, along with another person in a 5 km radius of their home.  Individuals must behave responsibly adhering to social distancing, mask wearing and sanitising.

The Department has received a large volume of telephone calls in the last few days from applicants enquiring about their deer hunting applications. The NPWS are currently processing deer hunting applications and licences will issue to applicants in the coming weeks. There may be some delays in the issuing of licences given current working arrangements due to Covid-19 but the NPWS will endeavour to issue as many licences as possible prior to 1 September, the start of the deer hunting season. You can also email the Wildlife Licensing Unit at wildlifelicence@chg.gov.ie relating to your application.

For further info, please click here

IFA Countryside Chairman Brian Rushe has welcomed the decision by the Heritage Minister Josepha Madigan to revoke the initial Wild Birds State Wide Declaration for the period 1 May 2020 to 30 April 2021.

Following a recent meeting with the NPWS on the issue, IFA submitted  a detailed document https://www.ifa.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Wood-Pidgeon-Derogation.pdf, which highlighted the need to reverse the decision relating to woodpigeon control.