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Parliamentary Questions and Answers
Question 1696 - Answered on 22 September, 2015
Ruth Coppinger, TD (Dublin West, Socialist Party): To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys the number of reports of breaches of licences for hare coursing in the previous hare coursing season.
Question 1697 - Answered on 22 September, 2015
Ruth Coppinger, TD (Dublin West, Socialist Party): To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys if she will report on investigations into breaches of hare coursing licences in the previous hare coursing season; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Question 1711 - Answered on 22 September, 2015
Maureen O'Sullivan, TD: (Dublin Central, Independent) To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason a club (details supplied) was not prosecuted for breaching the 2014-2015 hare netting licence conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Question 1712 - Answered on 22 September, 2015
Maureen O'Sullivan, TD: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason a club (details supplied) was not prosecuted in respect of hare licences and certification requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Question 1713 - Answered on 22 September, 2015
Maureen O'Sullivan, TD: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason a club (details supplied) was not prosecuted for lack of co-operation with National Parks Conservation Rangers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1696, 1697 and 1711 to 1713, inclusive, together.
Under the terms of the Wildlife Acts, licences are required by the Irish Coursing Club, covering their affiliated coursing clubs, if they wish to capture or tag hares for use at regulated hare coursing meetings. I recently gave approval to the granting of the annual licence to the Irish Coursing Club allowing its affiliated coursing clubs to net and tag hares for the purpose of hare coursing for the 2015/2016 coursing season. I should point out that I also decided to sanction two of the coursing clubs, which are the subject of two of Deputy O’Sullivan’s Questions, due to infringements of the conditions of the licences at coursing meetings held during the 2014/15 season. These sanctions, which were imposed on foot of reports from regional staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department, entail a reduction in the number of courses run by both clubs at their next meetings compared to the number of courses run at last year’s meetings.
Regional staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department will continue to attend coursing meetings during the 2015/16 season, as resources allow, to monitor compliance with the conditions of the licences.
ACTION ALERTS
Express your support for a ban on coursing. Sign and share petitions
Stop Licensing Cruel Hare Coursing
https://www.change.org/p/minister-heather-humphreys-stop-licensing-cruel-hare-coursing
Save Irish hares from cruel coursing
https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/minister-simon-coveney-replace-hare-coursing-with-drag-coursing
Ban horrific hare coursing cruelty in Ireland
https://www.change.org/petitions/taoiseach-prime-minister-of-ireland-support-a-bill-to-ban-the-cruel-practise-of-live-hare-coursing-in-ireland
Stop sponsoring hare coursing in Ireland
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-sponsoring-hare-coursing-in-ireland
Urge Minister Heather Humphreys to show compassion for the persecuted Irish Hare and stop licensing hare coursing.
Email "Minister Humphreys - Stop licensing cruel hare coursing" to Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie
[Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie,ministers.office@ahg.gov.ie,taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie,joan.burton@oireachtas.ie,wildlifelicence@ahg.gov.ie,Gerry.Leckey@ahg.gov.ie]
Tel: (01) 631 3802 or (01) 631 3800
Leave a comment on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/heather.humphreysfg
Tweet to Heather Humphreys: @HHumphreysFG
Tweet to @HHumphreysFG
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, feel free to send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.)
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Dear Minister Humphreys,
I am one of the majority who want hare coursing outlawed. I am writing to urge you to stop licensing this cruel activity. In coursing, hares suffer at all stages - during the capture, during the time they are kept in captivity and during the coursing meetings where they run for their lives in front of greyhounds. Among the injuries recorded are broken legs, damaged toes and dislocated hips. Every season, hare injuries and deaths are documented. I ask you to please act on the wishes of the majority, show compassion and stop licensing hare coursing. Thank you. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] |
Appeal to the Minister for Agriculture
Please appeal to the Minister for Agriculture to remove an exemption for hare coursing from the Animal Health and Welfare Act.
Simon Coveney, TD
Minister for Agriculture
Agriculture House,
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie
Tel: 01-607 2884 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Fax: 01-661 1013.
Contact all your local TDs now. Demand that they urgently push for a ban on hare coursing and all bloodsports. Tell them you are one of the majority who want coursing banned. Remind them that coursing is already illegal in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. Urge them to respect the wishes of the majority of the electorate and back a ban.
Find out their contact details
Please also arrange a meeting with your TDs at their local clinics.
