Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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637. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of rabbits and hares that have tested positive for RHD2 since 1 January to date in 2020; the locations in which these hares and rabbits were discovered; and the names of the coursing clubs not permitted to hold a coursing meeting in the 2020-2021 coursing season as a result of their proximity to these locations. [33670/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The control of live hare coursing, including the operation of individual coursing meetings and managing the use of hares for that activity, is carried out under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, which is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). My responsibility relates to the conservation status of the hare.

In 2020 to date, the RHD2 virus has been confirmed in 15 Locations in the counties of Clare (2 rabbits), Cork (4 rabbits), Galway (1 rabbit), Kildare (1 hare), Louth (1 rabbit), Offaly (2 rabbits), Tipperary (1 rabbit), Waterford (1 rabbit) and Wexford (1 hare and 1 rabbit) with some other animals still awaiting testing. My Department's officials will continue to work closely with colleagues in the regional laboratories and virology unit of the DAFM to gain a fuller understanding of the extent and impact of the disease in Ireland. All post-mortems and RHD2 testing to date has been done in DAFM laboratories and I would like to acknowledge their ongoing support and cooperation in our efforts to date.

The following Coursing Cubs are within the 25km restricted zones where there has been a positive RHD2 result: Balbriggan, Cashel, Cork, Dungarvan, Edenderry, Fermoy and Grange, Galbally, Glanworth, Knockgraffon, Mitchelstown, New Ross, Old Kilcullen and Rathcormac. I recently suspended nationwide the 2020/2021 license to capture and tag hares for coursing purposes.