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Limerick landowners reminded of anti-hunt rights
23 January 2008 In a letter to the editor published in the Limerick Leader this month, ICABS has reminded landowners about their rights in relation to trespassing hunts. Local farmers were told that if hunters and their hounds didn't receive permission to come on to land, "they have absolutely no right to be there." The full text of the letter appears below. Hunts on the land Limerick Leader - Letters to the Editor - 17 January 2008 by Philip Kiernan / Irish Council Against Blood Sports Further to the "Gardai probe shooting incident" report in Limerick Leader recently, may we have the opportunity to remind local landowners of their rights in relation to keeping hunts off their property? Unless hunters hold sporting rights to hunt on your property (this is not usually the case but if so, it will be specified on the title deeds), neither they nor their dogs have a right to access your property. Under the Control of Dogs Act, dogs must be kept "under effectual control" so if hunt hounds come on to land where they do not have permission to be, the recommended action to take is to immediately report the offence to the Gardai. Photos and video footage should be presented as evidence where possible. Sometimes hunts will say something like "we go where the dogs go" or "we didn't know we weren't allowed to enter your property" but this is not acceptable. If they didn't receive permission to enter the property, they and their dogs have absolutely no right to be there. Video: Landowners and hunts
ACTION ALERT 1 If you are a landowner, immediately make your land off limits to all hunts. If you have friends who are landowners, please tell them that they can make a difference by making their land a haven for wildlife. Please visit our Farmers Page and read our Troubled by the Hunt Leaflet for more information. Visit our No Hunting Signs page to print signs to display around the boundaries of your property. Thank you. ACTION ALERT 2 Urge the Minister for Agriculture to amend the Protection of Animals Act so that foxes, hares, mink and all wild creatures are protected from unnecessary cruelty.
Minister Mary Coughlan
Dear Minister Coughlan, I am writing to implore you to act to ban foxhunting and all blood sports in Ireland. Minister, foxhunting is cruel from beginning to end. The foxes suffer great stress and damage to internal organs during the gruelling cross-county chases. When they try to escape underground, terriers are sent after them to viciously attack them and drag them out into the open. The squealing, injured and terrified foxes are then mercilessly killed by a hunt terriermen. Other foxes will die a despicable death as they try to evade capture - they are violently knocked off their feet by the pack of hounds and eviscerated. Minister, I appeal to your sense of compassion to urgently intervene to save the fox from this barbarism. No living creature deserves the fate of foxes in foxhunting. The fox is one of Ireland's favourite wild creatures and is beneficial to farming interests by keeping down the numbers of mice, rats and rabbits which form part of its natural diet. I implore you to amend the Protection of Animals Act so that foxes, hares, mink and all wild creatures are protected from unnecessary cruelty. Thank you. I look forward to your response. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] ACTION ALERT 3 Appeal to all Irish politicians Please join us in telling the Irish Government that it is now time to replace foxhunting with the humane alternative - drag hunting. Drag hunting sees the hounds chasing an artificial lure instead of a live animal. This form of "hunting" is already practised successfully by a few groups in Ireland. In a modern and civilised country like Ireland, there should be no place for foxhunting, particularly when a transition to drag hunting would be simple. We desperately need your help to convince the government that it is time to ban foxhunting. Please write to all of your local politicians and ask them to express their opposition to this blood sport. If possible, get your friends, family and workmates to contact them too. We need as much help with this campaign as possible.
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