Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 13:

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This is probably the most important amendment we have tabled to the Bill and the one that has received the most attention. That such a comprehensive animal health and welfare Bill is being put through the House today is a significant step forward. All of us agree that many of its provisions represent a substantial step forward in protecting animal welfare in the State. Against this backdrop, that hare coursing is excluded from the provisions of the Bill is a gaping anomaly and contradiction. In essence, we are recognising that the practice is inherently cruel but allowing it to continue.

Ireland is one of the last remaining countries to allow hare coursing to take place. It has been banned in England, Scotland, Wales and, most recently, Northern Ireland. It is something a majority of Irish citizens in opinion polls and I consistently believe is an outdated practice with no part to play in modern Ireland. This is not just an opinion; it has been verified by what is taking place on the ground where the level of participation in coursing clubs has been declining dramatically in recent years. Each season the numbers involved are growing smaller. Census figures released in 1935 revealed that there were over 219 coursing clubs in Ireland. Today there are less than 90 and the figure is declining. It is a practice engaged in in about ten counties. The only area in Dublin in which it is engaged in is my constituency.

Information circulated to all Deputies which shows that a very successful drag coursing event took place negates the traditional argument that people who love greyhounds will not have a chance to exercise their dogs and allow them to compete. That is nonsense. We do not need to allow hare coursing to continue for dogs to be exercised or compete. Successful drag coursing events held in Ireland prove this and negate that argument. The Minister must take this on board. Not allowing this barbarity to continue and replacing it with drag coursing would do far more for the tourism industry.

During the years we have heard many ridiculous arguments justifying hare coursing, all of which can be defeated. We hear such nonsense that coursing clubs look after and protect hares. Let us be clear: hares are snatched from their environment and kept to be chased by dogs. They sustain massive injuries that I will not read into the record because we have done so before. That the organisers do not plan for deaths to occur which are an unfortunate by-product is not a reason to allow it to continue.

I do not accept the argument that hare coursing is a traditional sport in Ireland. It was first introduced by British garrisons. The fact that something is traditional does not mean it is acceptable. Standards in society change and what was the norm can become unacceptable as time passes. In times past there were freak shows at which people with disabilities and those who looked different were paraded in the name of entertainment. The holding of such events today would be reprehensible. Similarly, activities involving wanton cruelty such as cock fighting and bear baiting which passed for sport 100 years ago would not be deemed acceptable by anybody today. All of the evidence shows that this is not a natural activity for hares which do not enjoy being chased. They are gentle animals which are under threat and whose numbers are in decline as a result of this activity. It is not acceptable that it should continue. Successive opinion polls show this is not a minority viewpoint.

I am surprised that the Minister has continued to allow this cruel practice and excluded it from the provisions of the legislation because it is the one gaping anomaly that most citizens do not accept. Even at this late stage, I appeal to him to accept our amendment and allow us and coursing clubs to move on to develop the activity mentioned which involves no cruelty. Many people who consciously stay away might then return. We do not see this as in any way an attack on the rural way of life. The majority of people living in rural areas oppose hare coursing. I therefore ask the Minister to support the amendment.

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