The Department of the Environment has effectively banned jaunting cars from Killarney National Park, it announced today.
In a statement the Department said the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was refusing entry to the park to jaunting car operators that did not have a required horse "dung catcher" and licence.
"This decision was taken as none of the jaunting cars hold a valid permit which requires the use of dung catchers to operate within the park which means that jarveys are operating illegally," a statement from the Department said.
Paul Tangney, who has been operating jaunting carriages in Killarney National Park for 25 years, said the ban would decimate the tourist industry in the area.
“This is devastating. This is a national disgrace and we are very, very upset over it,” he said. “We’re going to lose contracts, Killarney is going to lose money over it because tourists won’t bother coming to Killarney.
“Its safety reasons. It’s just too dangerous to do it,” Mr Tangney said, whose family has been operating cars for around 200 years.
Earlier this year, jarveys were shown a video of the device in action. They have consistently rejected what they term “nappies” as “unsafe, and unsuitable”.
A spokesman, Pat O’Sullivan, said in March the devices would be dangerous for horses because of “the uphill, downhill nature of the terrain of Killarney”.
But the Department said that since the start of June, the NPWS had "repeatedly reminded" jarveys they must use dung catchers "but they have shown an unwillingness to co-operate with the new requirements".
Up to 66 jaunting cars work under licence from NPWS over some 15 kilometres of internal roads within the park, with the routes being cleaned by NPWS at the taxpayer's expense, the Department said.
"An unfortunate consequence of such a high volume of horses frequenting the park is that the roadways are consistently fouled with horse dung and has for a long time, been a concern from the point of view of environmental, health and safety, aesthetic and tourism grounds."
The Department said the NPWS has been engaged in a consultation process with the jarveys since 2007 to address this issue and had conducted trials with both a mechanical sweeper and with dung catchers.
"The dung catcher option, preferred notably on effectiveness, cost efficiency and noise grounds, was also the subject of tests by a leading UK based equine expert as well as a leading veterinary consultant and is in widespread usage internationally," the statement added.
"Although the dung catcher is attached to the car and not to the horse, jarveys have repeatedly signalled their complete opposition to the new devices but have never demonstrated where they perceive the problems to lie."
The Department said this made it "difficult to pinpoint what their actual reservations are" and to overcome any problems.
The NPWS had sought to avoid conflict, it added, "but the jarveys must own up to their responsibilities", and the NPWS has urged the jarveys to consult with it.
The NPWS stressed that Killarney National Park remains open to everybody else.
