Robert Troy wants stag hunt ban rescinded
20 July 2012

Westmeath Fianna Fail TD, Robert Troy, wants the ban on stag hunting barbarity lifted.

The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is astounded at a statement made by Fianna Fail TD, Robert Troy, in the Dail this week in which he called for the ban on the hunting of deer with dogs (i.e. the Ward Union deerhunt) to be rescinded.

Deputy Troy, during a debate on the Wildlife Amendment Bill 2012, stated that his partner was from Meath, and that it was one of the main issues in the last general election, and so he had a "great interest in it".

"As it was a commitment made during the last general election (to rescind the ban), I thought the Government parties might have used the opportunity arising from this Bill to rescind the ban on stag hunting, as previously promised," he said.

Deputy Troy's stance on this issue of cruelty to animals beggars belief. It's hard to believe that any right-thinking person with a vestige of compassion would want to bring back an abusive activity that caused 150 years of suffering to vulnerable deer hounded around the Meath and North Dublin countryside for "sport".

Deputy Troy should bear in mind the views of the majority in County Meath who were very much opposed to this hunt, not least the many farmers who suffered trespass and damage to their lands on a regular basis. "We go where the deer goes" was the battle cry of the Ward Union hunters, who openly admitted on RTE's Liveline that they cut wire fencing to gain access onto farmlands.

Deputy Troy clearly turns a blind eye to the cruelty meted out to these farmed deer during the hunt, forced to run for their lives before a pack of dogs, and the fatalities that ensued as a result – deer dying of aneurisms, drownings, road accidents, and choking while being roughly captured – all documented on official government monitoring reports accessed by ICABS through FOI.

And there were the horrific incidents aired on RTE's Liveline - in one, this hunt invaded a school yard in Kildalkey, forcing the lock-down of the school for the safety of the children who watched in horror as an exhausted stag was pursued by dogs; in another, a hunted deer jumped onto a main road, was struck by a car and had to be put down. Surely Deputy Troy would not want to see a return of this kind of incident?

Deputy Troy has previously informed us that he supports hare coursing because some of his constituents are engaged in the activity, and now stag hunting, because his partner is from East Meath and it is of 'interest' in that region. The Deputy should bear in mind that the vast majority of his constituents are opposed to cruelty to animals, and he should reflect that in his utterances in Dail Eireann.

If you wish to get in touch with Robert Troy about his shameful pro-bloodsports stance, his contact details are:

Robert Troy
Email: Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie
Tel: (01) 6184059
Mobile: (087) 7979890

Constituency details
The Manse, Castle Street
Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
Tel: 044 9330769
Facebook: http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Robert-Troy/1596728296

The cruelty Robert Troy wants back

 ACTION ALERT 

According to the Wildlife Amendment Act 2010, "a person who hunts deer with two or more dogs shall be guilty of an offence." If you reside in the area where the Ward Union operates, please familiarise yourself with the Wildlife Amendment Act 2010 and report any breaches to the Gardai.

For the phone numbers of Garda stations, please visit: http://www.garda.ie/Stations/Default.aspx

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