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Jennifer Whitmore TD introduces Protection of Hares Bill 2023
26 May 2023
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has introduced a bill which aims to finally ban cruel hare coursing in Ireland.
Deputy Whitmore presented her "Protection of Hares Bill 2023" in Dail Eireann on 25 May 2023 before Green Party Minister of State for Herittage, Malcolm Noonan, whose department shamefully issues licences for the bloodsport.
“I find it absolutely bizarre, frustrating and unbelievable that this practice is still allowed and is still facilitated by government when the majority of other countries have banned it because they recognise how awful and unacceptable it is,” the Wicklow TD stated. “No civilised society should ever treat another animal in this way.”
She noted that the timing of the Bill coincided with Biodiversity Week and stressed that the hare is a protected species in Ireland.
“The Wildlife Act has deemed it protected species and not many species in Ireland get that status,” she stated. “We have badger, bat, deer, hare, hedgehog, otter, pine marten and red squirrel. The same legislation that deems the hare protected because of its importance environmentally and culturally in Ireland, allows the Minister to sign off on licences for the capture and holding of these hares for the purposes of live hare coursing. I see that as a direct conflict within the legislation. If a species is protected, it should be protected and should not be subjected to that kind of, level of stress and torment.”
Her bill would “remove the ability of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to issue licences for the capture of hares”, a move that would “provide the hare species with the full protection of the Wildlife Act, as it should be”.
Deputy Whitmore went on to highlight that “each year the Minister of State or his counterpart signs off on of the capture of 6,000 hares, a huge number” and that “in every report that comes out, we hear about how our biodiversity and nature are being absolutely decimated.”
Addressing Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, she continued: “The first role of the Government when it comes to biodiversity, and the first role of the Minister of State, is to do no harm. Do not impact on the nature we already have. Unfortunately, that is not happening here. During Biodiversity Week, we see a lot of really great events and initiatives and we ask people to do a lot. We ask everybody to do their bit. We ask each house, school and business to please do their bit for our nature and our wildlife. Today, I am doing my bit for wildlife by bringing this Bill forward. And Minister, I ask you, as [Minister of State who is responsible for heritage], to please do your bit. This is something within your control. Please do your bit and stop the capture of these hares. It is unacceptable in this day and age, in this biodiversity crisis. It should never, ever be facilitated by any government.”
She acknowledged former Deputies Trevor Sargent and Maureen O'Sullivan who tried to get coursing banned and also current TD Paul Murphy who has also introduced a bill to ban coursing.
“I hope some day that we won't have to be bringing these Bills forward,” Deputy Whitmore concluded. "I cannot see that happening any time soon, because unfortunately despite 77% of Irish people not wanting this to happen - they want to see it banned - unfortunately, the people who tend to sit on those seats in government listen to a very small vocal minority of people who are continually lobbying to allow this barbaric practice to continue. One day I hope that we can actually end that for once and for all.”
Read a transcript of her speech at
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2023-05-25/36/
Find out more about Jennifer Whitmore and the Social Democrats at
https://www.socialdemocrats.ie/our-people/jennifer-whitmore/
ACTION ALERT
Contact all your local TDs and urge them to pledge support for Jennifer Whitmore TD's "Protection of Hares Bill 2023". Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
A RED C poll has found that 77% of people in both rural and urban areas want coursing banned, with just 9% disagreeing with a ban. Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and the Labour Party to tell them to respect the wishes of the majority and ban hare coursing and all bloodsports.
Micheál Martin
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Leo Varadkar
Telephone: +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Eamon Ryan TD
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eamondryan/
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryloumcdonaldsf/
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader, The Labour Party
Tel: (01) 6183136
Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivanabacik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bacikivana/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivanabacik/
HELP THE HARES: Tell Heritage Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan to give full protection to the Irish Hare and refuse a 2023-24 licence for cruel coursing.
Minister Darragh O’Brien (Fianna Fail, Dublin Fingal)
Tel: (01) 618 3802 OR (086) 251 9893
Email: darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; minister@housing.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarraghOBrienTD
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DarraghOBrienTD
Malcolm Noonan TD (Green Party, Carlow Kilkenny)
Minister of State for Heritage
Tel: (01) 888 2425 OR (01) 618 3156
Email: mos@housing.gov.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/votemalcolmnoonan1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm
Contact Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs and urge them to pledge support for Jennifer Whitmore TD's Protection of Hares Bill 2023.
Click Here to Email Fianna Fail TDs
micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; jack@jackchambers.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; james.lawless@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie; cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie; james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie; padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; cormac@cormacdevlin.ie; normafoley1@eircom.net; joe.flaherty@oireachtas.ie; Stephen.Donnelly@oireachtas.ie
Click Here to Email Fine Gael TDs
leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; colm.burke@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie; neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie
Click Here to Email Green Party TDs
Eamon.Ryan@greenparty.ie; catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie; patrick.costello@oireachtas.ie; francisnoel.duffy@oireachtas.ie; neasa.hourigan@oireachtas.ie; brian.leddin@oireachtas.ie; steven.matthews@oireachtas.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie; joe.obrien@oireachtas.ie; marc.ocathasaigh@oireachtas.ie; roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie; ossian.smyth@oireachtas.ie
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ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie; sean.sherlock@oireachtas.ie; aodhan.oriordain@oireachtas.ie; duncan.smith@oireachtas.ie; gerald.nash@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Kelly@oireachtas.ie; brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie
Please sign and share the petitions
Ban Blood Sports in Ireland
https://www.change.org/p/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland
Sinn Fein: Support a ban on cruel hare coursing
https://www.change.org/p/sinn-fein-support-a-ban-on-cruel-hare-coursing
Ireland – Ban cruel hare coursing
http://www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing
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