Animal rights activists gathered outside the Leinster House on Tuesday today in support of People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger’s Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2025, which seeks to ban foxhunting in Ireland.
The Billseeks to ban trail hunting, snaring and fox trapping, which she says “have all proven to be loopholes in the UK”, where foxhunting was banned in 2005.
“There’s no reason to be killing animals for entertainment”, Coppinger said before introducing the Bill on Tuesday, describing the practice as “an elitist so-called sport”.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said last week the Government is satisfied by “voluntary codes of practices” established by the Hunting Association of Ireland.
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These provisions account for the treatment of animals during hunts as well as concerns of landowners on which the hunt is taking place.
Under the existing legislation, people may be prosecuted for animal hunting if “a specific case of animal neglect or cruelty is identified”.
Supporters of Ms Coppinger’s Bill say this provision does not go far enough.
Irish Council Against Blood Sports spokesperson Aideen Yourell spoke outside the Dáil of “the most appalling conditions” suffered by both the foxes and the hunting hounds.
She wasn’t overly hopeful about the prospects of the Bill. “We don’t get support from the major parties, and Sinn Féin are hedging their bets”, she said.
Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins and Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae both opposed the Bill at its first stage, a departure from typical Dáil procedure.
Ms Coppinger described this move as “unprecedented” and “a stifling of the freedom of debate and the freedom of speech”.
Mr Collins labelled foxes as a “pest species [who] can cause a serious concern to many farmers”, while Mr Healy-Rae said “they come into towns and villages, they go in and out of bins. They’re everywhere, they’ve taken over the place”.
Mr Healy-Rae said he was calling a vote on the issue before being told by Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy that he could not do that.
“If I’m going to call a vote, I let you know,” she said.
Chief whip Mary Butler said the Government was not opposing the Bill at first stage but would consider it at second stage. – Additional reporting PA
