"Your heart would be broke" - the words of one of the many landowners across Ireland who are being continually persecuted by hunts. During hunting season, farmers and other landowners have to contend with hunters and hounds trespassing on to their property, damaging land and boundaries and compromising the biosecurity of farms. In many cases, this occurs even after the landowner has made it abundantly clear that hunting is strictly prohibited. This latest video footage from County Kilkenny shows a pack of hounds clearly out of control in a farmyard. The farmer - who has long been plagued by local hunts - attempts to keep the hounds at bay by closing a gate but the dogs find a way through a hedge and stream on to the property. As they scatter in all directions, he has an impossible task to get them all out. The hounds can be seen running across land, approaching cattle in an enclosure and defecating on the property, adding to concerns about the spread of disease. This incident took place over the course of an hour. The hunters in charge of the dogs - seen earlier in the video walking past the farm - made no attempt whatsoever to retrieve their dogs during this time, even though they were in the vicinity. We understand that this clear breach of the Control of Dogs Act (which states that dogs must be kept under "effectual control") is being investigated by the Kilkenny Gardai. This all demonstrates yet another good reason for hunting with hounds to be banned in Ireland. As well as the cruelty suffered by the foxes terrorised and killed by the dogs and the stress, incovnenience and loss experienced by landowners, hounds running across public roads are at risk of being hit by vehicles or causing accidents as motorists try to avoid them. Please join us as we renew our appeal to the government to act to save wildlife from the cruelty of hunting and protect landowners from trespassing hunters and hounds. ACTION ALERT Contact Prime Minister / Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Deputy Prime Minister / Tanaiste Simon Coveney and urge them to ban fox hunting. An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2 Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020 Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie Tweet to: @campaignforLeo Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/ Tanaiste Simon Coveney TD Iveagh House 80 St Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Phone: +353 (0)1 408 2000 Email: simon.coveney@oireachtas.ie Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SimonCoveney Tweet to: @simoncoveney Appeal to all Irish politicians Please contact all your local politicians and ask them to push for a ban on this blood sport. Encourage your friends, family and workmates to contact them too. Visit the Oireachtas website for names of TDs and their email addresses http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=32&disp=mem