Remax drawn into hunting row

ONE of the country’s biggest estate agencies has been drawn into a row between anti- and pro-hunt campaigners.

On November 15, John Bannon, owner of the Remax franchise in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, emailed politicians seeking their support for the Ward Union Hunt.

At the time, the Ward Union was seeking to renew its licence to hunt stag from Environment Minister John Gormley.

Within hours of Mr Bannon emailing the politicians, the Irish Council against Blood Sports had contacted the Irish head office of Remax to complain.

Mr Bannon said he was furious that what he regarded as private correspondence to politicians had been forwarded to a group opposing his views.

The council says it was passed Mr Bannon’s correspondence by Independent TD Tony Gregory, who is vice-president of the organisation.

It was the second such incident of the council contacting the head office of a company to complain about an employee or representative.

On Saturday, the Irish Examiner revealed how a woman working with a separate estate agency in Meath also saw her correspondence passed to the council.

The council then contacted her employer, complaining directly to the chief executive of the company.

The pro-hunt lobby expressed outrage at the council’s tactics, saying the woman’s job could have been jeopardised.

But the council claimed it was entitled to contact the company because the woman had used her work account to email the politicians.

The council also insisted it had not intended to create any difficulties for the woman with her employer.

Mr Bannon also used his work email account to make his representations to TDs.

The council subsequently complained directly to Mark Campbell, the regional director for Remax in Ireland.

The council claimed Mr Bannon was “in the minority of those wanting to retain this cruel hunt”, adding: “We have no doubt that the vast majority of your clientele nationally would not support this view.”

In his response, Mr Campbell pointed out that Remax was a franchising operation, made up of independently owned real estate offices, and that Remax could not “legally manage or control” the action of franchisees.

Mr Gormley eventually did issue a licence to the Ward Union, but attached a series of restrictions that meant that, while a stag could be released to lay a scent trail, the animal had to be recaptured before the hounds were released.