Senator who loses whip condemns ‘anti-rural’ Greens

THE Green Party is “pushing the Government to the brink of an election” through an agenda that is anti-rural Ireland, according to a Fianna Fáil senator who was expelled from the parliamentary party yesterday.

Cork senator Denis O’Donovan lost the party whip because he abstained from a Seanad vote on the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill, which proposes to regulate puppy farms and kennels for hunting hounds and racing greyhounds.

The bill, published last month by Green Party leader and Environment Minister John Gormley, is to be voted on in the Dáil before the summer recess in July.

Fianna Fáil backbench TDs have demanded a number of changes before they agree to support it claiming it will be damaging to “rural pursuits” including greyhound racing and hunting.

Mr Gormley is in discussions with Taoiseach Brian Cowen over making changes to the law to address these concerns.

But the amendments were not included when the Seanad voted on the Bill last week.

Senator O’Donovan said he was “not prepared to take a leap of faith” and vote on the laws before seeing what changes would be made by Mr Gormley following talks with the Taoiseach,

He said he had “no regrets” about taking a stance on the issue but he was “pushed into the dog house by the Green Party because they were unfair and unreasonable” by putting the laws before the Seanad before revealing what the amendments would be.

He had previously written to Mr Cowen when the bill was published, saying he could not support it if it was not changed.

The Bantry-based senator was called into the office of Government chief whip John Curran yesterday. In a statement last night, Mr Curran said: “The meeting was convened to allow Senator O’Donovan to explain his abstention from a recent Seanad vote. Senator O’Donovan explained his reasoning for abstention and consequently has lost the party whip.”

Mr O’Donovan said he has been “loyal to Fianna Fáil since childhood” and will take time to “reflect on where I am”. He said Fianna Fáil will have to “take stock of where we are going in relation to rural life”.

He said: “Fianna Fáil senators and backbenchers are deeply concerned that the Greens are pushing this Government to the brink of an election.”