Paul Murphy TD has today announced that he will introduce a new bill which will attempt to finally ban cruel hare coursing in Ireland.
In a video posted on Facebook, the RISE/Solidarity TD stated: “I’ve been working with the National Animal Rights Association to prepare a bill to ban hare coursing once and for all in Ireland. I’m happy to say that yesterday I sent a draft version of that bill to the office of the parliamentary legal advisor for legal proofing, but we’re quite confident that the bill will achieve what we’re setting out to do which is to ban this cruel practice from Ireland.” https://www.facebook.com/paulmurphytd/videos/542155243391892/
“This is an issue that people have been campaigning on for many years, [including] the Irish Council Against Blood Sports,” he continued. “The ISPCA recently adopted a position in opposition to hare coursing. Tony Gregory TD was very connected to the issue and Maureen O’Sullivan TD introduced an excellent bill which we’ve taken a lot of, with Maureen’s permission, which was voted on in the Dail in 2016.”
Pointing to major animal rights victories in the previous Dail - a ban on wild animal circuses and a ban on fur farming - Deputy Murphy said he believes “we can pass the bill to ban hare coursing in Ireland”.
He encouraged people to lobby politicians to back a ban on the bloodsport, saying bans on wild animal circuses and fur farming were achieved “not because we had a pre-existing majority inside the Dail but because of campaigning of animal rights activists, of people like ICABS, the National Animal Rights Association and many others around the country putting pressure on politicians to a point that the government was forced to act on both of those issues.”
He emphasised the importance of lobbying Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, all of which [along with the Labour Party] voted against Maureen O’Sullivan TD’s “Ban Hare Coursing” bill.
Deputy Murphy commented: “We’re going to have to have a very substantial campaign over the course of the next year or so up until the point that the vote on the bill will take place to try and put pressure on all of the political parties, all of the TDs to make sure that they join with us in voting to ban this cruel practice and end hare coursing. So please contact us to get involved. Get involved with the National Animal Rights Association or other activist groups.”
A big thank you to Paul Murphy TD for pushing for a ban on cruel coursing. His upcoming bill follows a RED C opinion poll in September which confirmed that a 77 per majority of Irish citizens want the government to ban hare coursing, with just 9 per cent disagreeing with a ban.
ACTION ALERT
Please contact all the political parties and TDs and urge them to pledge support for Paul Murphy’s bill to ban hare coursing.
Find names of TDs and contact details at
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=%2Fie%2Foireachtas%2Fhouse%2Fdail%2F33&tab=constituency
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
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Leave a comment on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
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
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
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 the petitions
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
Find out more about Paul Murphy TD at
https://www.letusrise.ie/paul-murphy-td
https://www.facebook.com/paulmurphytd/