Hunters face a real tally-ho

WITH the inevitable ban on live hunting with hounds in the UK, the baton of social reform will then be handed to Ireland to join its more forward-thinking neighbours and remove hunt-controlled violence from the Irish countryside.

No case exists for the retention of live hunting with hounds. It is organised, pre-meditated animal abuse enjoyed by those who have lost all connection with a conscience.

The Irish hunting community knows that the writing is on the gable. They now stand at the crossroads. Will they try to win a war that’s already lost, or will they opt for the humane option by developing and improving draghunting? Hunting the drag in all its forms is the future. Anything else means social suicide.