Thursday, April 01, 2010
GREEN reasoning for the banning of stag hunting has been attacked by "country sports" supporters.
The Ward Union Hunt hit back at claims by the junior coalition partner that the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010 is as much about protecting the public as it is about animal welfare as the Cabinet gave its approval for the legislation.
Environment Minister John Gormley met concerned Fianna Fáil backbenchers to explain his stance on hunting and controlling dog breeding to them. But the Union Ward Hunt insists it can still mobilise enough Dáil opposition to derail the legislation which will put it out of action if passed by TDs.
"The minister has focused unduly on no more than two or three incidents that occurred out of more than 400 hunts conducted over the last 10 years.
"At the same time, the minister is taking no action to tackle the real public safety issue of motorists colliding with scores of deer on major thoroughfares each year, including the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
"Banning the hunt in order to address concerns over public safety is an excessive and unfair response," a spokesperson for the hunt said.
The bill, which was agreed by the Fianna Fáil leadership as part of the renegotiated programme for government, will ban hunting deer with packs of dogs and is expected to be debated in the Dáil by early May.
Green leader Mr Gormley has promised grass roots activists in his party he will not back down in the face of rural Fianna Fáil opposition to his animal welfare agenda.
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