Club probe over animal cruelty

A HUNT club in Co Cork has been suspended by the sport’s governing body after allegations of animal cruelty.

The Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association said the allegations against the north Cork based Avondhu Foxhounds were made by senior people within the hunting community and not animal rights groups.

The complaints were made against the hunt club following the alleged mistreatment of a fox near Fermoy earlier this month.

The Avondhu Foxhounds, which has about 70 members drawn from the Fermoy and Mitchelstown areas, held the hunt with two groups from Tipperary and England.

A spokesman for the Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association said it was highly unusual for fellow hunters to make such complaints.

A disciplinary meeting was held in Co Laois earlier this month during which several witnesses were interviewed.

“It appears the rules have been broken and we are trying to get to the bottom of it. There is no place for animal cruelty in sport. We are keen to stamp out any rule-breaking,” the association’s spokesman said.

A spokesman for the Avondhu Foxhounds said it was carrying out its own separate investigation.

He said it was a standard procedure that a club would be suspended while an investigation is ongoing.