Gormley accused of ‘pandering to lobby groups’

ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley’s imminent ban on stag hunting is the first shot in a wider war on “rural traditions”, hunting enthusiasts have warned.

The Ward Union Hunt Club based in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, broke its silence on the looming Government ban by attacking Mr Gormley for “pandering” to lobby groups.

The minister is set to refuse the 200-year-old club a licence to hunt stag following outrage at an incident in January when hounds chased a terrified deer into a Meath school playground, as children cowered in their classrooms.