Paul Murphy TD is working on a bill that will seek to finally outlaw cruel hare coursing in Ireland.
The office of the RISE / Solidarity TD for Dublin South West has confirmed that it is "in the process of formulating a bill on banning hare coursing".
As previously reported by the National Animal Rights Association, Deputy Murphy had pledged before the recent general election that he would pursue a ban on the bloodsport.
His drafting of a bill follows a RED C opinion poll which confirmed that a 77 per majority of Irish citizens want the barbaric activity banned. Just 9 per cent disagree with a ban.
In 2016, Paul Murphy was one of the 20 compassionate TDs who voted in favour of Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan’s bill which attempted to ban coursing. That bill was sadly defeated when Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Fein rejected it. His new bill will present TDs with an opportunity to finally respect the wishes of the majority and consign coursing to history.
Speaking during a debate in 2016, Deputy Murphy condemned coursing as an "indefensible practice".
"It is an undeniably cruel and barbaric practice especially considering the fact that our near neighbours – Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England – have all moved to ban hare coursing," he stated. "Ireland is one of three jurisdictions left that maintains it...Hare coursing has a negative impact on this country’s wildlife. The Irish hare is one of our most longstanding native mammals, having survived the ice age, but there are now examples of local extinctions and a fragmented population across the country. The Irish hare as a species is under pressure from human activity, primarily farming, and the last thing it needs is to be captured and chased by greyhounds in enclosures for the enjoyment, dubious though it may be, and profit of a few.”
The Irish Hare is now also under threat from the deadly and highly-contagious RHD2 virus, which has increased calls for coursing to be stopped and full protection to be given to hares. The National Parks and Wildlife Service warned that the virus could prove "catastrophic" for the species and that "the netting and collecting of hares for coursing meetings poses a significant risk factor to the spreading of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease." Minister Josepha Madigan went on to recklessly allow coursing to continue, despite having earlier acknowledged that RHD2 “has the potential to wipe out the hare population completely”.
Paul Murphy, along with Dail colleagues Ruth Coppinger and Mick Barry were instrumental in pushing for a ban on fur farming in Ireland. Their Prohibition of Fur Farming Bill was last year poised to secure the support of a majority of TDs, forcing Fine Gael to announce that it would introduce legislation of its own to ban the practice. He was also behind a Bill which finally prompted the government to introduce a ban on wild animals in circuses.
At the ICABS/GREY2K "Greyhounds Around the Globe" conference in November, Deputy Murphy said he was confident that a ban on greyhound racing could be achieved too.
“I think we should be optimistic that we can win this in Ireland,” he commented. “The way you get a sense of that is by the behaviour of your opponents. If you weren’t having an impact, well then the greyhound industry wouldn’t be concerned at all. It’s precisely because you’re having an impact, because public opinion has changed dramatically on the issue of greyhounds in the last number of years, as part of a wider shift in public awareness around animals rights. That’s why there was the campaign of bullying and intimidation to get Buswells [Hotel] ditched as the [original] venue for the conference.”
Find out more about Paul Murphy TD at
https://www.letusrise.ie/paul-murphy-td
https://www.facebook.com/paulmurphytd/
ACTION ALERT
It is imperative for all to contact TDs and demand that they pledge support for a ban on hare coursing. Remind them of the cruelty of coursing and the results of the RED C opinion poll - 77% want the government to ban coursing and just 9% disagree with a ban.
Find names of TDs and contact details at
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=%2Fie%2Foireachtas%2Fhouse%2Fdail%2F33&tab=constituency&page=6
Contact the leaders of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein and the Labour Party to tell them that you want hare coursing and all bloodsports banned.
Leo Varadkar
Leader, Fine Gael
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Leave a comment on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
Constituency Office
137 Evergreen Road,
Turner’s Cross, Cork
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01–618 3000
Leave a comment on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Alan Kelly TD
Leader, Labour Party
Tel: 067 34190
Email: alan.kelly@oir.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alankellytd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alankellylabour
Please sign and share petitions
Ban Blood Sports in Ireland Now
https://www.change.org/petitions/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland
Ireland - Ban cruel hare coursing
www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing
Sinn Fein: Support a ban on cruel hare coursing
https://www.change.org/p/sinn-fein-support-a-ban-on-cruel-hare-coursing
Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Industry
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-industry
Please support our campaign with a donation https://www.paypal.me/banbloodsports