Rising deer populations are causing problems for 31% of the farmers surveyed by the Irish Farmers Journal.

Given the sharp rise in the number of deer across the country in recent years, farmers in all sectors were asked how much of a problem deer are in their area.

They are a “significant problem” according to 13% of farmers, while another 18% said that deer are “somewhat problematic”.

‘Not a problem’

However, the majority of farmers said that deer are not a problem, with almost 70% of those surveyed reporting no issues whatsoever with deer where they farm.