Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)

I am glad to have the opportunity to oppose this proposal by Deputy Coppinger. She said she was amazed that anyone would stand up and talk against this proposal. I have to tell you, a Cheann Comhairle, that from every corner of Kerry, people have rung and sent emails and all kinds of messages to ensure that we stop this at the start. All of us living in rural parts of Ireland know the damage that the fox has done and is doing. The numbers have increased to a massive amount altogether. One of my sons had lambs. He and all the farmers around him have tried their very best. They had practically a third of their lambs taken this year. A man at the top of the Pike Hill came to me the other day with his story. He had 12 hens and when he went out one evening, there was only one there; the fox took 11 of them.

I do not know if Deputy Coppinger really knows the consequences of her Bill and the effect of the foxes. The numbers have increased dramatically. They are all over the place. They are coming into towns and villages. They are in and out of bins and they are everywhere. They have completely taken over the place. Members of respectable gun clubs who do the fox hunting do the farmers a favour. They have legally held guns and do it all above board. They have been doing it traditionally over the years and they operate to the highest standard. I salute those people and I stand with him here today.

I ask the Government Members to consider what is happening here because many of them are depending on farmers for a lot of their votes around the country and especially the hill farmers down in south Kerry who depend on lambs for their profits after feeding them for the year. I am certainly opposing this Bill and I will call for a vote.

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