Maureen O'Sullivan TD to seek amendments to remove coursing exemption for Bill
26 September 2012

ICABS President, Maureen O'Sullivan TD, has stated that she will seek amendments to the Animal Health and Welfare Bill to remove an exemption which would allow hare coursing to continue. In a Dail speech, the Dublin Central TD highlighted the suffering and death caused to hares by the bloodsport.

"I could read out a catalogue of instances of coursing cruelty but I will refer to just a few pertaining to various coursing meetings," she said. "Over two days of coursing at one event, 16 hares were hit by dogs. Nine were pinned and seven died of their injuries. At another meeting, six hares were hit by muzzled dogs, six were injured and two were killed. Over another two days, ten hares were hit, two were killed, two were injured and two died overnight. At another meeting, 12 hares were hit by muzzled dogs, one was killed, four were injured and one was put down because of injuries."

She added: "We know what occurs before coursing meetings. The club members go out collecting hares. Sometimes they do so outside the bounds of their licence. Netting involves supporters yelling and shouting to herd hares into a net and then into an enclosure. This, again, is cruel to hares because they are solitary creatures. The wild hare is released into the field where we know what happens. Blooding with hares, rabbits and kittens is practised by people who own greyhounds."

Also highlighted was the cruelty of fur farming and the Department of Agriculture's badger snaring operation which has left 90,000 badgers dead.

Watch Maureen's speech in full below.

Read a transcript of all the speeches

More Speeches

 ACTION ALERT 

Contact Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and demand that a ban on coursing and foxhunting is included in the Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012.

Minister Simon Coveney
Department of Agriculture
Agriculture House,
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie
Tel: 01-607 2884 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Fax: 01-661 1013.

Please urgently contact your local TDs and ask them to support legislation to ban blood sports.

Email TDs from: www.contact.ie/contact-national-politicians
Or find out individual email addresses of TDs on the Irish Government Website

Write to your TDs at:
Dail Eireann
Leinster House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2.

Also arrange a meeting with your TDs at their local clinics. Contact us for details.

Urgently contact An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and An Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore. Ask them to show compassion for wildlife and introduce an immediate ban on coursing and foxhunting.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny
Department of the Taoiseach,
Telephone: 01-6194020

An Tanaiste, Eamon Gilmore
Office of the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Tel: 01 6183566 (Dail) or 01 408 2000 (Iveagh House)

Email Both: eamon.gilmore@oireachtas.ie;taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie

Videos: the cruelty of hare coursing and foxhunting in Ireland

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