Coursing opposed by eight in ten 1st February 2005 Successive opinion polls have shown that a huge majority of Irish people want hare coursing banned. The most recent poll showed that the blood sport is opposed by a majority in both urban and rural areas. Survey 1 Do you think coursing should be banned? Sunday Independent, January 11th, 1998 "There is very little support across the country for hare coursing, even when the dogs are muzzled...hare coursing should be banned outright, a huge majority of Irish people now believe." Survey 2 Hare Coursing Survey Irish Times/MRBI, July 8th, 1993 "In so far as public opinion is concerned, the government should not have refrained from banning live hare coursing since a massive three in every four feel that it should be banned. Again, significant majorities in all categories support this viewpoint." Survey 3 Should coursing be banned? Sunday Press Survey, 1991 Survey 4 "Attitudes to Live Hare Coursing" Irish Marketing Survey, 1987 Survey 5 "Attitudes to Live Hare Coursing" Irish Marketing Survey, 1978 Survey 6 Hare Coursing in Northern Ireland Millward Brown Ulster, 2003 The results of this opinion poll show that 84 per cent of people in Northern Ireland believe hare coursing is cruel, 73 per cent view it as immoral and 74 per cent think it should not be allowed to take place. View poll (Adobe Acrobat pdf format, 64 Kb) Action Item: Please contact your local politicians With hare coursing and foxhunting banned in Scotland and soon to be banned in England and Wales, now is a vital time for us here in Ireland to intensify our campaign for political action to end these cruel activities. We appeal to all supporters to write, phone and email your local Dail and Senate representatives. Tell them that the time has now come for the Irish Government to follow the good example of the UK Government and finally outlaw hare coursing, carted deer hunting, fox hunting, hare hunting and mink hunting. You may also consider making an appointment to visit the clinic of your TD or Senator and making your views about blood sports known. Ask them where they stand on the issue and what steps they plan to take to hasten a blood sports ban. If you require information leaflets or newsletters to present to politicians, please get in touch with us and we will happily supply you with as many copies as you need. For the names and contact details of politicians, please refer to the following webpages. TDs - Visit www.oireachtas.ie, click on Dáil Éireann (on menu at left) and then click on Deputies. Senators - Visit www.oireachtas.ie, click on Seanad Éireann (on menu at left) and then click on Senators. MEPS - Visit www.europarl.ie/