Niall Collins Opposes Hare Coursing Ban, Defends Regulation

I'd like to convey the apologies of Minister Hayden, he's unable to attend and I'm taking the debate on behalf of the government. And I'd like to clearly state at the outset that the area of animal welfare is of the utmost importance to me, to our Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and to the government as a whole. Our department devotes considerable resources to protecting the well-being of animals and in dealing with breaches of animal welfare legislation. The government remains fully committed to promoting good practices that respect the welfare of all animals. The government fully recognises the very strong views on both sides of this debate and policy area which have been the subject of extensive debate over the years. So on behalf of the government, I am opposing this bill, the Animal Health and Welfare Ban on Hair Coursing Bill of 2020 and I'll now outline the reasons for you why. In relation to Animal Health and Welfare Act, during the passage of the Animal Health and Welfare Act of 2013, a detailed debate was held in this House around the issue of hair coursing. The Dáil voted overwhelmingly to allow the continuation of hair coursing in accordance with certain rules. The Act of 2013 in particular states that the hair can only be coursed in a space from which it has a reasonable chance of escape. If a hair is chased in a space where it has no reasonable chance of escape, it violates Section 12 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act of 2013 and constitutes a criminal animal cruelty offence. Where a specific case of animal neglect or cruelty is identified, offences may be prosecuted under the Act of 2013. And when the Act was enacted, it significantly increased the penalties. These included on summary conviction a Class A fine of up to €5,000 and in some instances a Class A fine and or up to six months imprisonment and on indictment a fine of up to €250,000 and or imprisonment up to five years. I want to turn to the existing legislative and regulatory framework. Regulated muzzled coursing, operated chiefly by the Irish Coursing Club, exists under a significant and overlapping statutory framework. The Wildlife Acts of 1976 to 2018, the Animal Health and Welfare Act of 2013, the Open Seasons Order of 2005, the Greyhound Industry Act of 1958 and the Irish Coursing Club rules, directives and guidance notes. Coursing licences carry 44 separate conditions overseen by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Coursing meetings are supervised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to ensure compliance with the 44 conditions associated with section 32 and 34 of the licences issued by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. A panel of pre-coursing inspectors selected for hare expertise inspects every club in advance of a meeting and issues a certificate to course only where standards are met with hares examined by a veterinary surgeon before, during and after every meeting. A monitoring committee on coursing is in place, comprising officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Irish Coursing Club and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to monitor developments in coursing and in that regard keep the situation under constant review to ensure that coursing is run in a controlled manner. Hares are legally protected under the Wildlife Act. Catching and tagging of a hare requires strict adherence to conditions. It is illegal to catch and tag hares outside of the licensed coursing and tagging season. Additionally, hares cannot be caught using unapproved nets or within restricted areas. No hare must be coursed more than once a day and hares that appear sick, injured or appear to be pregnant while in captivity may not be coursed. In relation to the scientific evidence, a 2023 study commissioned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service on survival, movements, home ranges and dispersal of hares after coursing found no significant difference in observed mortality, movement patterns, home range sizes or dispersal distances between coursed and uncoursed hares released back into the wild. A separate population study found 18 times more hares in areas managed by coursing clubs than in the wider countryside, direct evidence that coursing clubs' habitat management has a measurably positive effect on hare populations. The current hare casualty rate at coursing meetings is below 0.5%, down from 15.8% prior to the introduction of muslin in 1993. In the 2025-26 season, 99.38% of the 3,020 hares netted were released back into the countryside. The Irish hare is currently assessed by the International Union of Conservation of Nature as, I quote, least concern and the most recent EU Habitats Directive Report of 2019 found the species conservation status to be favourable and stable, comparing favourably with the majority of the other 68 protected species assessed. I want to comment in relation to the economic and social contribution to rural Ireland. In 2022, an independent economic analysis estimated that coursing contributes approximately €70.7 million annually to the Irish economy, the great majority of which directly benefits rural communities, with €37.9 million attributable to the life cycle of the coursing greyhound itself. The sector receives no state funding. It is entirely self-resourced through club fundraising, membership and voluntary effort. Coursing provides a strong social function for rural communities, particularly for older members during winter months. A ban would remove this voluntary activity and community infrastructure without replacing it. Regulated coursing under the Irish Coursing Club has continued for over 100 years. With individual coursing clubs operating across generations, membership often passed down through families and communities for well over a century. Coursing provides a structured introduction to animal care and responsibility for young people. Training a coursing greyhound and looking after hares exposes young people to the practical realities of animal husbandry on a consistent, daily basis. So in conclusion, we are opposing the Bill. We don't do government by referendum or by opinion polls findings, as quoted by Deputy Murphy. We take a structured, regulated approach to this and to other issues. And yes, while it's a minority pursuit, it doesn't mean it can't continue. And under this government, it will continue. Thank you. Thank you Minister. Our next speaker, Deputy Ruth Coppinger.