Pine martens should be classed as vermin - Dolan

Cllr Gerry Dolan said pine martens should be classed as "vermin" and that the mammals are doing a "lot of destruction."

At the latest Ballinamore Municipal District meeting, Cllr Dolan also said that "eagles that have been brought in will be as bad if not worse" adding, "I think it's a disgraceful act to bring such birds into this country."

He was speaking in relation to a response from the office of Minister McConalogue (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine) which said pine martens are a protected species and are currently undergoing a "range expansion throughout the country". 

Cllr Dolan had previously called on the Minister for Agriculture to revise plans "that have been made for the re-introduction of these non-native species and others."

He had said that many lambs are lost to pine martens each year and that "they don't kill for food."

"As bad as the fox is, he'll feed himself on the lamb but the pine marten kills for blood. They could kill 50 lambs in one field over one morning or night," he claimed.