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ICABS newsletter Below
are some extracts from the ICABS newsletter, which supporters of Greyhound
Action will find of interest. Please write to Minister Martin Cullen.
With
regard to drag coursing, we are also concerned that this would lead
to dogs being "disposed of" when considered no longer good
enough, but, on the other hand, the most bloodthirsty of the hare coursers
would probably not wish to take part in it, so if it took the place
of hare coursing, this could lead to a better situation for the dogs.
ANIMAL
VOICE - December 2003 Irish
Council Against Blood Sports (ICABS) Dear Supporters, Thank you for your help with the November letter writing campaigns. The latest edition of "Animal Voice" (incorporating the November appeals and the December appeals below) is now available as a 6-page colour magazine which can be downloaded from the Letter Writing section of the ICABS website. Ideal to print out and pass on to friends who do not have access to email! Please see below for some updates along with a few new appeals. With best wishes. Philip
Kiernan = = = = = = == = = = = = == = = = = = = UPDATE: NORTHERN COURSERS ALLOWED TO TERRORISE HARES IN CAVAN Two hare coursing clubs in Northern Ireland have been allowed to come south of the border to terrorise hares during a controversial three-day meeting in Cavan. The Ballymena and Dungannon clubs had been prevented from capturing hares from the wild following a decision by Angela Smith, MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment in Northern Ireland. It was subsequently discovered that the Dungannon club was in possession of hares which were netted in the Republic. This despite the fact that the licence to capture hares south of the border does not include Northern clubs. ICABS demanded that Minister Martin Cullen - who issues licences for coursing - immediately intervene and insist that the hares be returned and released back to the wild here. We are not aware of any such action being taken. The meeting in Dungannon was called off at the last minute - due to, we believe, intense media interest in the controversy as well as local protests. But, thanks to a failure by the Department of the Environment to step in and act, the Northern clubs managed in the end to carry out their cruelty. Cavan coursing club added a third day to their meeting and invited the two clubs to join them. In reply to a Dail Question tabled by ICABS Vice-President, Tony Gregory, the Minister's response was that there was no breach of the coursing licence issued to the Cavan club. "My Department understands that the event in question is being organised and managed by the Cavan Coursing Club who are covered by the hare netting licence issued to the Irish Coursing Club for the season 2003-2004. The subsidiary association of other interests with the Cavan Coursing Club in this event would not appear to be inconsistent with the licence provisions," Minister Cullen stated. This response is in stark contrast to that of the Northern Irish Department of the Environment. In explaining her decision to prevent coursers from capturing and coursing hares, Angela Smith, MP stated: "The Irish hare is in danger. It is low in number and [my Department has] published a species action plan, which has among its objectives the doubling of the Irish hare population by 2010. Anything that puts the lives and welfare of the Irish hare at risk is inconsistent with the policy objectives of the species action plan." ICABS is disappointed that Minister Cullen didn't act to prevent the Cavan meeting from taking place. Take Action: Write Now! Please write to Minister Martin Cullen asking him to explain why he allowed coursing clubs from another jurisdiction to come to Cavan to terrorise hares. Appeal to him to follow the good example of Northern Ireland and refuse further licences to coursing clubs. Remind him that there is a humane alternative to coursing - drag coursing - which would be very simple to introduce. Minister
Martin Cullen = = = = = = == = = = = = == = = = = = = NEWS: VINNIE JONES AND HARE COURSING The following is an extract from the Coursing Preview section of the Sporting Press, November 2003. The article confirms Vinnie Jones's involvement with the blood sport of coursing. "International film star and former footballer Vinnie Jones runs the fancied Smoking Girl in the Bitch Stake at Enniscorthy. She has already qualified for the Oaks at Liscannor, but she might find Lisloose Laugh a bit too hot to tackle here." Note: The "Oaks" referred to will take place in Clonmel at the National Coursing Finals which is due for 2, 3, 4th of February 2004. |