Fox hunters making life misery for Irish farmers

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Wednesday April 22, 2015 12:15

by Against Fox hunting

Fox hunters are making life a complete misery for farmers in Ireland. They trespass on their lands, rip up fields of crops, destroy fencing, spread disease, and scatter flocks and herds in all directions as they stampede across farm boundaries, heedless of the damage they cause. Farmers Against Foxhunting and Trespass (FAFT) is campaigning for a ban on fox hunting in Ireland and upholds the right of all landowners to refuse permission to hunts that want to bully their way onto their lands. Last week, FAFT mounted a demo outside IFA HQ in Dublin to highlight the conflict of interest in the IFA's use of a helpline solicitor who happens to have a long high profile association with foxhunting. Also, the demo drew attention to the plight of two County Kilkenny farmers who have been subjected to a horrific ordeal of harassment and intimidation by fox hunters.

farmers protest against foxhunting and harrasment by hunts

'Conflict of interest': Farmers call for removal of IFA's helpline solicitor

A group of farmers staged a protest last week outside the IFA headquarters to express their anger in relation to an IFA helpline solicitor who they say supported the Kilkenny foxhunt and gave evidence on behalf of the hunt's chairman in a defamation case.

The case, taken by two Kilkenny farmers in 2013, made national headlines at the time (see links below) and resulted in them being awarded €30,500 in damages, which to-date have not been paid.

In a statement - the brothers, both members of the Irish Farmers Association - say they have asked the IFA on numerous occasions to intervene on their behalf to get the damages paid and to replace the IFA's helpline solicitor because of what they contend is a conflict of interest, in that he supports the Kilkenny hunt, has taken part in its hunts and appeared in court on behalf of the hunt in the defamation case, while his job in the IFA is to advise farmers and help them resolve legal issues, including damage by hunts to farm property.

The brothers were defamed by the chairman of the Kilkenny Hunt who referred to them as a “pair of paedophiles” during a hunt in November 2004. The brothers had video evidence of the defamation, and won their case, having been awarded damages and costs.

See links below to national newspapers on the case below:

http://www.irishtimes.com/…/brothers-awarded-defamation-dam…

http://www.irishexaminer.com/…/brothers-get-30k-over-paedop…

http://www.independent.ie/…/head-of-oldest-hunt-denies-call…