Sinn Fein has signalled that it shamefully won't be supporting a ban on fox hunting next month, despite the extreme animal cruelty involved and the fact that the vast majority in Ireland want it ended.

Responding to appeals to support Ruth Coppinger TD's Animal Health & Welfare (Ban On Fox Hunting) Bill, Sinn Fein politicians are telling constituents: "We believe that Deputy Coppinger’s bill which proposes an outright ban would drive fox hunting further underground and instead it should be strongly regulated."

In an email to Sinn Fein TDs and the party's head office, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports stressed: "We do not accept the argument that a ban on bloodsports should be avoided for fear that it would drive these obscene activities underground. We agree with your party colleague Réada Cronin TD who stated at the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis in Athlone (10 November 2023) that she 'does not believe that outright bans driving brutality underground has any basis in fact.'"

"The Ard Comhairle would not consider legalising and regulating dog fighting or cockfighting for a moment and to even say so is absurd, yet both activities were once commonplace," she stated at the time.

In relation to the suggestion that regulations could deal with the inherent animal cruelty, we pointed out that fox hunting involves taking out a pack of dogs to chase a fox to exhaustion and that when caught, the fox is savagely attacked and literally pulled apart.

"To the foxes squealing in agony, regulation is utterly meaningless and will do nothing to quell their pain," we stated. "No amount of regulation is capable of eliminating the suffering; only a complete ban will achieve that."

Party TDs are also claiming that, despite its apparent intention to try and block efforts to ban this most obscene bloodsport (as it attempted to do earlier this year), "Sinn Féin is committed to achieving the highest standards in animal welfare and an end to animal cruelty."

If this were true, the party would have no hesitation in voting in favour of Deputy Coppinger's bill to ban fox hunting.

We are reminding Sinn Fein that party president Mary Lou McDonald TD personally assured us in 2020 that the party is opposed to fox hunting and would vote in favour of a ban at the next opportunity.

We hope that between now and 17 December, Sinn Fein will decide to side with the compassionate majority and pledge support for Deputy Coppinger's bill.

ACTION ALERT

Contact Mary Lou McDonald TD and urge her and Sinn Fein to support Ruth Coppinger TD's Animal Health & Welfare (Ban On Fox Hunting) Bill.

Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie; admin@sinnfein.ie
X: https://x.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDo

Email Sinn Fein TDs and tell them to vote in favour of a ban on fox hunting.

john.brady@oireachtas.ie; pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie; matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; rose.conwaywalsh@oireachtas.ie; reada.cronin@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Crowe@oireachtas.ie; david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie; pa.daly@oireachtas.ie; maire.devine@oireachtas.ie; Pearse.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; paul.donnelly@oireachtas.ie; dessie.ellis@oireachtas.ie; thomas.gould@oireachtas.ie; ann.graves@oireachtas.ie; johnny.guirke@oireachtas.ie; martin.kenny@oireachtas.ie; claire.kerrane@oireachtas.ie; padraig.maclochlainn@oir.ie; conor.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie; johnny.mythen@oireachtas.ie; shonagh.niraghallaigh@oireachtas.ie; eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie; donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie; ruairi.omurchu@oireachtas.ie; aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie; fionntan.osuilleabhain@oireachtas.ie; louis.ohara@oireachtas.ie; louise.oreilly@oireachtas.ie; darren.orourke@oireachtas.ie; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; mark.ward@oireachtas.ie; cathy.bennett@oireachtas.ie; joanna.byrne@oireachtas.ie; donna.mcgettigan@oireachtas.ie; natasha.newsomedrennan@oireachtas.ie

Keep hunters off your land

If you are a landowner, make your land off-limits to hunters. Find out more about how to do this on our Farmers/Landowners Page – http://www.banbloodsports.com/farmers.htm

Sign and share our “Ban Blood Sports in Ireland” petition
https://www.change.org/petitions/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland

Watch our campaign video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG9rMlE3VAQ

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