The head of a deer hunting advisory committee says he holds some animal welfare concerns regarding the government's new five-year plan for fallow deer management.
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The government released its longawaited Tasmanian Wild Fallow Deer Management Plan on Sunday which includes an aim towards deer eradication in areas such as peri-urban and World Heritage areas.
Tasmanian Deer Advisory Committee chairman Andrew Winwood said hunters were overall comfortable with the plan, but wanted some concerns addressed during its implementation over the next 12 months.
There is a current exclusion on taking female lactating fallow deer as it may impact any dependent fawn.
The plan has stated ethical hunters operating in parts of zone two and zone three where eradication was the policy intent could manage this risk by accounting for fawns dependent on does and consider the point when they started foraging for food.
However, Mr Winwood said the state's Animal Welfare Act precluded hunters from killing a lactating doe under any circumstance.
"If we knowingly kill an animal and it causes the death of another one, it's actually an offence under the act," he said.
"We're not here to put a handbrake on any parts of the plan that have been put forward, but we'd just ask for a little bit of caution and say 'is this really humane?'.
"Is it human to be shooting the mother of an young animal that we know is going to be in the bushes?"
The Bob Brown Foundation expressed disappointment that the plan did not identify fallow deer as an invasive species.
Foundation spokeswoman Christine Milne said eradication of fallow deer needed to be prioritised.
"This strategy has failed to reduce the numbers or curb the spread to date," she said.
"Professional shooters need to be used with the goal of eradication."
The government has the intention to conduct a limited fixed-term trial to evaluate the potential for deer farmers and landholders to supply wild deer products for the regulated food or restaurant trade.
Tasmanian Hospitality Association chief executive Steve Old said he believed this would be welcomed by a majority of the restaurant industry.
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Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
