Despite the appalling animal cruelty involved in hare coursing and growing fears for the future of the Irish Hare, members of Sinn Fein have this month renewed their support for the bloodsport. The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is extremely disappointed to learn, via an email from the office of Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, that at last weekend's Ard Fheis, members voted to retain the party's existing policy of opposing a ban on coursing. ICABS has been told that "The Sinn Féin membership voted to support the following motion: Without prejudice to the party’s continued position of opposition to cruel farming and animal harvesting practices, unnecessary and cruel animal testing, and the infliction of cruelty to animals – especially for the purposes of entertainment – this Ard Fheis: - Acknowledges the support in rural Ireland for traditional rural occupations including hunting, fishing, and hare coursing. - Acknowledges the value that these pursuits bring to local rural economies, and the potential economic damage posed by an outright ban. - Believes that hunting and fishing should continue to be regulated in the interests of sustainable wildlife management. - Believes that Irish hare coursing practices should be regulated to ensure sustainable wildlife management and to minimise unnecessary suffering to the animals involved. - Believes that the banning of hare coursing would drive it underground and remove current regulations, which are essential to protect the animals involved. Therefore we oppose such an outright ban." This shameful support for one of Ireland's worst forms of cruelty to animals comes seven months after a motion calling for a ban on hare coursing was rejected. That motion at Sinn Fein's November Ard Fheis stated: "This Ard Fheis calls for legislation to ban live hare coursing, noting the cruelty suffered by the native, wild hares through their capture, injuries and trauma, often resulting in death, and furthermore calls on Sinn Féin to produce a document outlining our policies in this area." It was narrowly defeated. Sinn Fein has been told about the ongoing suffering of hares in coursing - the hits, maulings, injuries and deaths - and also about the latest warnings from wildlife experts that the Irish Hare is "in trouble" with numbers declining. The party needs to acknowledge that coursing is a minority activity in Ireland and that most citizens want it outlawed. ICABS is renewing a call to Sinn Fein to modernise its animal welfare policies and support a ban on coursing by reinstating its previous anti-coursing policy which was reversed in 2010. Hare coursing is illegal in all of our neighbouring jurisdictions - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - and a ban in the Republic is long overdue. Using live animals as bait for dogs would normally be a serious offence of animal cruelty but the government has disgracefully provided immunity from prosecution for those involved by inserting an exemption for coursing into animal welfare legislation. ACTION ALERT Urge Sinn Fein and Mary Lou McDonald TD to back a ban on hare coursing and foxhunting, in line with the majority view that these cruel activities must be outlawed. Email: admin@sinnfein.ie, marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie Tel: 01 8726100 / 8726932 (Dublin) OR 02890 347350 (Belfast) Tel: (01) 727 7102 (Mary Lou McDonald) Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sinnfein https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD Tweet: @sinnfeinireland @MaryLouMcDonald Sinn Fein - Back a ban on cruel hare coursing and foxhunting Sign our petition: "Sinn Fein: Support a ban on cruel hare coursing" https://www.change.org/p/sinn-fein-support-a-ban-on-cruel-hare-coursing Contact Minister Josepha Madigan and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and demand that they stop licensing hare coursing. Minister Josepha Madigan Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800 Email: josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie, ministers.office@ahg.gov.ie, wildlifelicence@ahg.gov.ie, john.fitzgerald@ahg.gov.ie, Gerry.Leckey@ahg.gov.ie, nature.conservation@ahg.gov.ie Leave a comment on Facebook: https://facebook.com/JosephaMadiganFG Tweet to: @josephamadigan John Fitzgerald Director, National Parks and Wildlife Service Phone: +353 (0)1 888 3242 The Irish Hare is a protected species but an exemption for coursing in the Animal Health and Welfare Act means coursers are not liable for prosecution for their cruelty. Join us in our call to the government to remove the exemption and provide full and permanent protection to this cherished species. Contact An Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar and ask him to ban hare coursing and give permanent protection to hares. 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/ Express your support for a ban on coursing. Sign and share the petitions Ireland: Ban cruel hare coursing https://www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing Stop Licensing Cruel Hare Coursing https://www.change.org/p/minister-heather-humphreys-stop-licensing-cruel-hare-coursing Ban Blood Sports in Ireland https://www.change.org/petitions/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland