Agriculture minister Simon Coveney say he will trust the Irish Coursing Club to follow a "code of conduct" instead of imposing a ban on hare coursing.
Does the Minister have any idea of who and what the ICC actually is?
A recent case shone a spotlight on how the ICC operates and the Minister would do well to reflect very carefully before he entrusts this organization with a "code of conduct".
The revelations arising from the case (link to coverage below) are quite apart from the National Parks and Wildlife reports that prove hares continue to suffer horribly in coursing...they are mauled, battered, have their bones broken, are tossed about like playthings. The NPWS reports can't be dismissed as "anti bloodsport propaganda", as the coursing lobby might like. They are the result of the State's own system of monitoring hare coursing events.
(Anyone reading the reports on that case referred to might possibly be reminded of the bigger picture...and how certain styles of "management" got us where we are today as a nation!)
Here's the link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/114211299/Irish-Coursing-Club...-Case
A hare is prepared to be terrorized in coursing
A gentle creature: the Irish Hare is the victim of recreational bullying and sadism