Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

262. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out the measures to protect the well-being of animals engaged in hare coursing in view of live hare coursing now being a criminal offence in the United Kingdom and much of the rest of Europe; his views on the continued practice of live hare coursing here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6711/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 (BnG).

The welfare of greyhounds involved in coursing is provided for in the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 whichinter aliarequires that persons who course greyhounds must have regard to the “Code of Practice in the Care & Welfare of the Greyhound”, developed jointly by the ICC and BnG.

The ICC has assured my Department that it has extensive systems and practices in place to underpin the welfare of animals participating in coursing and that it goes to great lengths to ensure the highest standards of hare and greyhound welfare are adhered to.

An enhanced system of regulation for the detection of prohibited substances in coursing greyhounds, accompanied by more stringent sanctions, was put in place by the ICC in August 2012. The Executive Committee of the ICC has also established a sub-committee (the Testing Review Committee) to examine current practices for the detection of prohibited substances in coursing greyhounds with a view to extending the scope and frequency of testing. The Committee will report back to an EGM with recommendations for consideration and approval by members before the end of March 2015.

A Monitoring Committee on coursing was established during the 1993/94 coursing season and comprises 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 both hares and greyhounds alike.

The ICC has systems in place to underpin the welfare of hares and greyhounds involved at coursing events.

Hares can only be collected for coursing by clubs affiliated to the ICC, in accordance with the terms of two licences granted by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. These licences have 26 conditions attached, the majority of which are central to hare welfare. These conditions have been developed and refined over a number of years. The conditions of the licences cover a range of items, including:

-all clubs arrange for a qualified veterinary surgeon to be in attendance during all coursing meetings, and he/she shall prepare a signed report on the health of the hares and on any injuries or deaths of hares that occur during the meeting.

-hares may not be coursed more than once on the same day and all necessary arrangements shall be made to ensure that hares that have been coursed can be readily identified to ensure this condition is rigidly observed.

- sick, injured or pregnant hares shall not be collected for coursing; hares that become sick or injured or that appear to be pregnant while in captivity may not be coursed.

- adequate escapes must be provided while coursing hares pursuant to the Licence.

- all hares must be released back into the wild during daylight hours the day after the coursing meeting is concluded, unless otherwise agreed with the relevant NPWS staff beforehand.

- hares must be released back into the wild at the same locations from which they were collected, unless otherwise agreed beforehand with the relevant NPWS staff.

- hares collected in this jurisdiction cannot be removed from this jurisdiction under the terms of the Licence. There must be full compliance with the Directives, Instructions and Guidance Notes issued by the Irish Coursing Club in all matters relating to the capture, keeping in captivity, tagging, marking, coursing and release of hares, and the muzzling of greyhounds.

The ICC ensures the welfare of the hare as evidenced by the following:

- The health status of all hares is assessed prior to placing in the Hare Park following netting.

- Hares are treated for a range of common ailments under veterinary supervision.

- Hares are released into the Hare Park which is laid out to replicate the wild with appropriate cover and shelter.

- Footbaths are located in the Park to treat/prevent any minor foot issues.

- Hares are fed on a diet of oats (whole or sheaf), sallies (branches of young trees), apples and fresh water in general.

- The feeding and training of hares is confined to a limited number of people with the relevant expertise.

- All hares are familiarised with the coursing stretch and the escape located at the top of the coursing field.

- Prior to each meeting, the hares and facility are inspected by a Hare & Field Committee member, a veterinary surgeon and ICC Control Steward.

- A vet certifies the hares are fit to course or otherwise.

- A vet is appointed to attend on the day of coursing to advise and administer care when required.

- The Executive Committee (Board) of the ICC appoint one of its members to oversee each coursing meeting with powers to curtail or abandon a meeting if required.

- An ICC Control Steward is appointed to each meeting to ensure all rules are adhered to by the host club.

- Muzzles worn by greyhounds in coursing are made of fabric, so as to minimise injuries to hares where the dog and the hare come into contact.

- In the event of a hare being compromised (pinned by muzzled greyhound(s)) a dedicated Hare Steward is appointed (2/3 stewards operate to ensure efficient intervention). This hare is examined by the appointed vet and not coursed again irrespective of outcome of the examination.

- On conclusion of the coursing meeting all hares are released back into the countryside under supervision of the ICC steward and Wildlife Ranger (if in attendance).

- Each coursing meeting is documented to capture relevant information regarding the conduct of the meeting as required by the NPWS. This information is submitted to the NPWS and is available under FOI.

- The ICC appointed Hare & Field Committee advise and instruct clubs on best practice in terms of hare welfare and field layout to ensure greyhound welfare.

- The ICC provide full/partial grant aid to clubs to develop their facilities to ensure best practice.

- Coursing Clubs prevent and report illegal hunting on a 12 month basis and work closely with the Garda and NPWS in this regard.

- Coursing Clubs are the only organisation to have a conservation strategy compared to opponents of coursing.

A study undertaken by Quercus, Queens University, Belfast, has found that there are 18 times more hares found in areas where there are coursing clubs than in the wider countryside.

A review of the outcome for the 2013/4 season indicates that the procedures and processes in place in terms of animal welfare are appropriate given that 99.4% of hares were released back to the wild at the conclusion of coursing.

The systems in place to oversee coursing are, in my view, effective, proportionate and working well.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

263. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out the measures undertaken by his Department, including the numbers of site visits and other inspections carried out on dog pounds run by local authorities, private institutions and charities, to ensure animals are cared for in a manner compliant with the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013; his views on the matter of animal welfare standards at pounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6712/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department maintains a close working relationship with the Local Authorities on dog welfare matters. I am informed that regular inspections of dog pounds are carried out by the Local Authority veterinary officers and, in addition, that all pounds have regular services of private veterinarians to deal with sick animals and emergency cases.

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government publishes statistics in respect of a range of dog control responsibilities of the local authorities each year. Information up to 2013 is available on the Publications page of the Department’s website at and I understand that statistics in respect of 2014 will be published shortly.

The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 is enforced by authorised officers of my Department, by An Garda Síochána and by authorised inspectors of the ISPCA and the DSPCA under service provisions of the Act. The Act also provides for the authorisation by local authorities of persons to carry out functions under the Act. If the Deputy has a concern in regard to a welfare issue at any dog pound he should contact both the Local Authority and my Department immediately.