AN ALL-IRELAND action plan has been put in place to prevent wild boar from becoming re-established in Ireland.
The National Biodiversity Data Centre says wild boar died out in Ireland more than 5,000 years ago. However, in recent years the species has been found in Kilkenny, Roscommon, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow.
It is thought the animals may have escaped from captivity. Experts now fear its reappearance poses a threat to the environment, agriculture and the economy. These concerns have prompted State bodies in the Republic and Northern Ireland to develop an invasive species action plan.
John Kelly of Invasive Species Ireland said: “The focus of the action plan is primarily on prevention and responding to any threats that arise.”.
Both the Republic and Northern Ireland have animal health strategies in place that help protect farm animals from diseases.
In the event of an outbreak of notifiable diseases with wild boar present, the task of eradicating the disease would be significantly more challenging, costly and difficult to achieve, Invasive Species Ireland said.
Diseases sometimes associated with wild boar include classical swine fever and African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, swine vesicular disease, Aujeszky’s disease and rabies.
Department of Agriculture animal health expert John Melville said: “We want to work with anyone keeping wild boar to ensure that they are compliant with the regulations in place.”
The Invasive Species Ireland steering group warned that if wild boar were to become established, there would be a high risk of the species transmitting disease to livestock, damaging crops, fencing and farmlands, damaging protected sites and habitats and injuring people either by charging at them or colliding with vehicles.
The release of wild boar on either side of the Border is illegal. Any sightings of accidental or deliberate releases should be reported to Invasive Species Ireland at invasive speciesireland.com