Heritage Minister James Browne shamefully issues 2026-2027 hare coursing licences
Heritage Minister James Browne has shamefully granted 2026-27 licences for cruel hare coursing. The licences, covering a 206 day period, allow 87 coursing clubs to capture thousands of hares in nets between 7 August 2026 and 28 February 2027 and attach ear tags to them before using them as live bait for dogs to chase.
Thousands of hares will be cruelly netted from their habitats, manhandled, transported in crates to coursing enclosures, held in captivity for weeks or months and forced to run for their lives. All the hares will suffer fear and stress and some of those hit and mauled into the ground will sustain broken bones and die from their injuries.
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has expressed disgust to Minister Browne and the Minister of State for Nature and Biodiversity Christopher O'Sullivan.
"This is an insult to the majority in Ireland who want this barbaric bloodsport banned and it is a betrayal of the threatened Irish Hare, an icon of biodiversity," we stated. "You should be protecting this species, not facilitating its persecution."
The licences were issued despite several submissions to the Ministers and the National Parks and Wildlife Service in which we reminded them about the awful suffering caused to hares captured for coursing, including a hare IN AGONY WITH A LEG HANGING OFF, hares dying from injuries or being euthanised by coursing club vets and hares suffering fear and stress. We also highlighted the incompatibility of coursing licences with Section 12(11) of the Animal Health & Welfare Act.
A multitude of coursing licence breaches and suspected licence breaches were reported to Ministers Browne and O'Sullivan but the latest coursing licences include all the coursing clubs.
Minister Browne has been asked if the licence breaches were investigated and if any action is being taken against the coursing clubs in question, including prosecutions under Section 69(6) of the Wildlife Acts (“any person who contravenes a condition attached to a licence granted by the Minister under this Act shall be guilty of an offence”).
See copies of the licences at
https://www.npws.ie/licencesandconsents/hare-coursing
ACTION ALERT
Contact Ministers Browne and O'Sullivan and appeal to them to show compassion for the persecuted Irish Hare and revoke the coursing licences.
Minister James Browne (Fianna Fail, Wexford)
Tel: (01) 618 3094
Email: minister@housing.gov.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.browne.enniscorthy
X: https://x.com/jamesbrownetd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrownetd/?hl=en
Christopher O’Sullivan TD (Fianna Fail, Cork South West)
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity
Tel: (01) 618 3095 or 023 88 11011
Email: christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.osullivan.716
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopher_o_sullivan_td
X: https://twitter.com/COSullivanTD
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, feel free to send the sample letter below)
Dear Ministers Browne and O’Sullivan,
I am writing to ask you to please WITHDRAW the licences you granted for another season of cruel hare coursing.
The licences allow coursers to net thousands of hares from the wild, transport them in boxes to coursing compounds, manhandle them, hold them in captivity for weeks/months and eventually force them to run for their lives in front of greyhounds.
All the hares suffer fear and stress and, despite the muzzling of the dogs, hares are injured and killed every coursing season when they are caught and mauled. Among the injuries documented are, broken back, spinal injury, detached/broken legs, damaged toes and dislocated hips.
Hares suffer at all stages – during capture, while held captive and at the coursing meetings where they can be seen desperately running as a merciless mob cheer the greyhounds on and gamble on which dog will be first to force the hare to change direction. Coursing compromises the welfare of hares and those who survive the ordeal remain at risk of dying from stress-related capture myopathy in the days and weeks after they are released back to the wild.
With the suffering, stress, injury and death caused to hares at coursing meetings, there should be no hesitation in finally ending this shameful activity. This would be widely welcomed by the 77% majority of Irish citizens who want coursing banned (just 9% disagree with a ban. Source: RED C poll).
Ireland is in the middle of a biodiversity crisis and it’s time for the iconic Irish Hare to be given full protection and allowed to live free from persecution. Please withdraw the licences as a step towards a long overdue ban on coursing.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Address]
Please get in touch with all your local TDs and urge them to pledge support for a long overdue ban on cruel hare coursing in Ireland. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/34
Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein. Tell them that you want hare coursing, fox hunting and all bloodsports banned.
Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 01 619 4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
X: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Watch our campaign videos
The suffering of hares during 2025-26 coursing season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jN3OMM7_UY
Bill to ban hare coursing shamefully rejected - 24 in favour, 125 against
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMSh_T5l6i0