Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The control of live hare coursing, including the operation of individual coursing meetings, is carried out under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, which is the responsibility of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Hare coursing is administered by the Irish Coursing Club, a body set up under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958.

Licences were issued by my Department in August 2014 under the Wildlife Acts to the Irish Coursing Club, on behalf of its affiliated clubs, to facilitate the tagging and capturing of hares for the purpose of hare coursing for the 2014-2015 season. I have received numerous representations in recent months requesting me to revoke the licences issued to the Irish Coursing Club and asking me not to issue any further licences to it. I understand that the majority of these representations have been prompted by an online campaign organised by anti-blood sports organisations urging people to make such representations to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and me. I have not received any requests for meetings on foot of these recent representations.

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