Call For Ministers To Outlaw Fox Hunting And Hare Coursing

The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) is calling on all TDs to support independent TDs Claire Daly and Maureen O'Sullivan in their effort to remove exemptions for fox hunting and hare coursing from the Animal Welfare Bill to be debated today, Wednesday.

Ireland's green image is under threat from the continued practice of these cruel pastimes, which is at odds with everywhere in the UK where they are banned, according to the Trust.

"This need not be the rural versus urban debate that many supporters of 'blood sports' want us to believe – rather it is about respecting our natural environment and building a future we can all be proud of," the Trust said.

IWT Campaigns Officer Pádraic Fogarty said: "Hare coursing and fox hunting are relics of a past that most Irish people, whether rural or urban, are happy to see the back of. They are not sports and amount to no more than the degradation of our native wildlife for the amusement of a few."

(CD)