Dáil debates

Thursday, 23 June 2016

Animal Protection (in relation to hares) Bill 2015: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

8:50 pm

Photo of Bríd SmithBríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry I am late but the honourable Joe Biden, to whom Deputy Mick Wallace referred in the context of landing aeroplanes in Shannon, delayed me. There is a big palaver around St. Stephen's Green with dozens of stretch limousines. I do not know where he is gone for a pint but he is obviously gone somewhere local.

I support Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan's Bill as a small step towards a kinder and more humane society in all aspects, especially in terms of how we treat not just hares but all sentient beings. It gives us an opportunity to have a wider argument about our attitude in that regard. I welcome the initiative and thank Deputy O'Sullivan for bringing the Bill to the Dáil. The case has been made by many different groups here about the cruelty involved in hare coursing, which is undeniable and unbelievable. It is a very weak argument to claim that the animals do not suffer and that the tradition must be respected, and in most cases it is demonstrably false. There would be more honesty involved in this debate if those who oppose the banning of hare coursing would simply tell us lots of money can be made from it, both from the events they run and the gambling that takes place in the industry and, therefore, it is about putting the creation of profit or commerce ahead of other considerations and the terror and pain inflicted on defenceless animals.

In preparing for the debate I was struck by a number of things I had not realised. Most important, the wildlife expert, bird watcher and photographer, Eric Dempsey, with whom I did a class on bird watching in the People's College, pointed out that Irish hares are a unique race of mountain hares found nowhere else in the world. They are a protected species, yet the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, can issue licences to coursing clubs to hunt and net hares. The hare population is in serious decline across the country due to habitat decline and other issues in addition to coursing. Hares are among the longest established native mammals on this island and one of the last living links to the previous ice age. It is amazing to think about that and it would be a real shame to lose hares.

The naturalist, Eric Dempsey, also pointed out that we do not make much effort to protect our natural heritage as opposed to our national heritage. There is almost total silence when species such as the corn bunting becomes extinct or other species such as corncrakes, skylarks and yellowhammers go into serious decline. We must consider such issues because they contribute to the type of society in which we wish to live. I support the Bill which deals specifically with hares and also because it says something about the kind of society to which we should aspire. I was not born with a huge appreciation for animal rights but I have come to believe in our duties as humans to protect all living creatures, people as well as the other sentient beings that inhabit the planet. At all times we should act to minimise the infliction of unnecessary cruelty or pain on animals. That is not just the case with hare coursing but in terms of animal exports and the manner in which we produce animals in the agriculture sector and in poultry farms.

The ultimate source of such cruelty and of the degradation of animals is inherent in an economic system that prioritises profit and competition before people and the environment. It is an economic system that degrades the importance of human needs behind those of profit and does the same with animals. I say to those such as Deputy Mattie McGrath who support the rights of those involved in hare coursing that we stand with those who campaign for the rights of animals and against the cruelty and unnecessary suffering that is inflicted on animals. However, the ultimate cause of the suffering is not Deputy Mattie McGrath, the people of Tipperary or some kind of misguided element of society, rather it is an economic system that prioritises profits above all other considerations and relegates the needs of humans and other species.

We are now living in the midst of the Earth's sixth great extinction event, which is the reason biodiversity is crashing across the planet. The cruelty that this Bill highlights is a small example of the general coarsening. The more general cruelty and degradation of animals and the environment is inevitable in this economic system. It is wrong and we should oppose it. I endorse Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan's Bill and welcome the fact she has brought it to the House.

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