Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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260. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce legislation to ban fox, hare and mink hunting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6777/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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On the general matter of hunting, a detailed debate was held during the passage of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and the Dáil decided to allow the continuation of fox hunting in accordance with an appropriate code of conduct.

Section 25 of the Animal Health & Welfare Act 2013 allows for the establishment of codes of practice and for the adoption of codes published by other persons for the purposes of providing practical guidance relating to any aspect of the Act, including fox hunting. Voluntary codes of practice have been established by the Hunting Association of Ireland which detail the conduct to be adhered to in respect of the hunting of foxes and the treatment of the animal during the hunt. The code also considers local concerns and the concerns of the landowner(s) on whose land hunting takes place.

My Department has no plans to change the existing legislation.

All hunting of hares with dogs is illegal except under licence granted through section 23 of the Wildlife Acts. The Acts are under the remit of my colleague the Minister Housing, Local Government and Heritage - National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The granting of licenses for the netting and tagging of hares is a matter for NPWS.

Mink are not protected under the Wildlife Acts, hence landowners and their agents do not need permission or licences from the NPWS to control their numbers. It should be noted that the methods used must be humane and not endanger any protected species.