VISA urged to "Stop giving money to shooting group"
12 February 2009
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is appealing to MBNA/VISA to stop contributing to an Irish shooting organisation. NARGC (whose members kill tens of thousands of creatures every year) receives money from the company every time someone uses a specially produced credit card. Please join our appeal to MBNA/VISA now.
In a letter to ICABS, it was confirmed that "MBNA makes a contribution to the NARGC" every time one of their VISA cardholders uses the card for a purchase. The spokesperson tried to defend the arrangement by saying that the money goes into the group's "Irish Habitat Trust" conservation fund.
MBNA has since been informed that when shooters refer to "conserving" creatures, they are talking about conserving them to later kill them.
Pointed out to the credit card company is the following statement on the NARGC website: "Shooting people have a vested interest in investing in conservation and ensuring that the game species which they hunt are cared for and that their populations are not threatened."
| The NARGC credit card with their logo on the top left corner. VISA/MBNA makes a contribution to the shooting group every time the card is used. |
Elsewhere on NARGC's website, it is stated that "The National Association of Regional Game Councils is the main organisation concerned with the hunting of waterbirds in Ireland…In 1997 the NARGC established, in partnership with FACE Europe and Ducks Unlimited in the US, the Irish Habitat Conservation Stamp Programme, which raises finance for conservation projects with the emphasis on wetlands. Currently, the NARGC is the sole promoter of this initiative under the new title of the Irish Habitat Trust."
Further evidence of the Irish Habitat Trust's connection with hunting can be seen in the prizes awarded at the trust's national draw in April 2008. These prizes included three shotguns, a gunshop voucher, a hunting knife, a stuffed pheasant, animal traps and a subscription to shooting magazine, Irish shooters Digest.
Please respond to our action alert below and demand an end to MBNA's financial contribution to an organisation whose members kill tens of thousands of Irish birds and animals every year. Among the species gunned down are: fox, hare, mink, deer and many bird species, including geese and ducks. Previously listed as a target species on the NARGC website was cats.
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"Carry the card that is designed exclusively for members of the NARGC. Proudly bearing the NARGC logo, the credit card promotes your membership whenever and wherever you use it. For each NARGC account that is opened a contribution is made to the NARGC on your behalf, and for each year that the account remains open a further contribution is made. In addition to this, for every card transaction made with the NARGC Credit Card, a percentage is given back to the NARGC." (A description of the card from the applyonline website)
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URGENT ACTION ALERT
Please write to MBNA Europe and ask them to stop contributing to a group whose members kill animals for sport.
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.)
Gail Powell
Vice President
MBNA Europe Bank Limited
P.O. Box 1004
Chester Business Park
Wrexham Road
Chester
CH4 9WW
UK
Email: customeradvocate.office@mbna.com
Tel: +44 1244 672 000 (MBNA UK Head Office)
Tel: 1800 409 511 (MBNA Ireland)
Fax: +44 1244 672 055 (MBNA UK Head Office)
Dear Ms Powell,
I am writing to appeal to MBNA Europe to stop making a financial contribution to Irish shooting organisation, NARGC, every time one of their card holders makes a purchase.
I understand that MBNA has tried to defend this arrangement by pointing out that the money goes towards the group's Irish Habitat Trust "conservation" fund. The creatures conserved by shooters are the creatures that they hunt and you may be interested in the following statement on the NARGC website - "shooting people have a vested interest in investing in conservation and ensuring that the game species which they hunt are cared for and that their populations are not threatened."
May I also draw your attention to the list of prizes awarded at the Irish Habitat Trust's national draw in April 2008. These prizes included three shotguns, a gunshop voucher, a hunting knife, a stuffed pheasant, animal traps and a subscription to a shooting magazine.
Irish shooters are responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of Irish animals every year. Among the species gunned down are: fox, hare, mink, deer and many bird species, including geese and ducks. Previously listed as a target species on the NARGC website was cats.
I find it incredible that MBNA is happy to help fund a shooting organisation. I appeal to you to side with the majority who love and appreciate wildlife and immediately stop making these financial contributions.
Thank you. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
[* * * Insert you name and location here * * *]
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