Malcolm Noonan, the minister overseeing the National Parks and Wildlife Association (NPWS) and the game council remain at loggerheads, as the council raises concerns over the ongoing NPWS review.

Minister Malcolm Noonan, has previously been criticised by the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) which says his position is “untenable” after he described himself as an animal rights activist.

It also pointed to a 25% drop in deer licences issued and a stand-off when a derogation for pigeon shooting was not issued as normal last year.

“The NPWS is central to us, farming and rural Ireland, and if the minister is pushing his own agenda, the NPWS staff will do what their boss wants,” Dan Curley from the NARGC said.

The terms of reference for the NPWS point to the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, which proposes that EU member states should collectively legally protect at least 30% of the EU’s land and marine areas and that 10% of this should relate to areas such as ancient woods and peatland.

A number of farm schemes are overseen or influenced by the NPWS, including the Curlew Conservation Programme and GLAS

The terms also highlighted a 70% reduction in funding since the financial crisis of 2008 and that the NPWS received just 10% of State funds spent on biodiversity between 2010 to 2015 while the Department of Agriculture received 80%.

A number of farm schemes are overseen or influenced by the NPWS, including the Curlew Conservation Programme and GLAS.

Some farmers may fear that an increase in resources for the NPWS would see an increased focus on biodiversity which could impact land use in certain areas.

An independent chair of the review, Professor Jane Stout has been appointed and will submit recommendations from the review to Government by the summer to allow for Budget 2022 considerations.

Individuals and organisations have until Friday April 2 to complete the review which can be found on the NPWS website.