Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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288. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the dangers that recent weather events have had on hares and the health implications from being chased by greyhounds in waterlogged fields, frost-hardened ground; if he acknowledges that extreme weather events give a disadvantage to the hare during competitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2084/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 the regulation of coursing is chiefly a matter for the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) subject to the general control and direction of Bord na gCon, which is the statutory body with responsibility for the improvement and development of the greyhound industry, greyhound racing and coursing. The ICC has confirmed that it has systems in place to underpin the welfare of animals participating in coursing events. These include mandatory inspections of hares and coursing venues in advance of the commencement of an event. Greyhounds involved in coursing are subject to the provisions of the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 and the Code of Practice for the care and welfare of greyhounds, published by Bord na gCon.

The ICC has assured the Department that it goes to great lengths to ensure the highest standards are adhered to during coursing. The ICC's rules and regulations (Rule 106) accommodate the postponement of meetings if the weather is unfavourable i.e. snowfall, frost or waterlogged ground, which may affect the welfare of both greyhound and /or hare. The ICC has demonstrated it’s willingness to cancel / postpone meetings in the face of adverse weather conditions, by way of example, one coursing meeting was cancelled on 23rd November 2013 due to heavy frost, and this would be a routine practice for all clubs affiliated to the ICC. Most recently meetings were postponed over the Christmas (2013) period due to unfavourable weather conditions. During extreme weather conditions, it is also the practice of clubs to provide additional food for hares living on hare preserves protected by coursing clubs.

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, under the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2012, has responsibility for the issuing of an annual licence to the ICC and its affiliated clubs to capture live hares. These licences currently have a total of 26 conditions attached to them. The conditions of these licences cover a range of items, including veterinary supervision at coursing meetings and a number of requirements attaching to the welfare of hares.

The ICC ensures that a veterinary surgeon and a control steward are present at all coursing meetings. In addition to this, veterinary staff from my Department and Rangers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (part of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht) carry out random inspections during the coursing season to monitor compliance with the licences and the rules governing animal welfare.

As a further control, a Coursing Monitoring Committee was established during the 1993/94 coursing season and is comprised of officials from my Department and representatives from both the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the ICC to monitor developments in coursing and in that regard the situation is kept under constant review to ensure that coursing is run in a well controlled and responsible manner in the interests of hares and greyhounds alike.

A very high proportion (98.09%) of the hares captured for hare coursing were returned to the wild at the end of the 2012/2013 season.

The systems that are in place are, in my view, effective and are working well.