'Minister Gormley must not break his word today' - rural field sports campaigners. 26th January 2010

The organisation representing 300,000 hunting and field sports enthusiasts has called on the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD, to honour written commitments given to hunt clubs and hunting associations.

The call was made by the newly-formed organisation, RISE! Rural Ireland Says Enough!, as the Seanad is due to debate the Second Stage of the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 today. The Bill will impose severe restrictions on voluntary hunt clubs, making it impossible for them to operate.

A spokesperson for RISE! said 'Todays debate affords an opportunity for the Minister, John Gormley TD, to keep faith with the commitments in writing given by him and his recent predecessors in that Department that hunt clubs would be exempt from the terms of the Bill. However, as the Bill stands drafted on the Order Paper of the House today, scores of hunt club kennels throughout the country are caught within its strictures'.

This was never the intention. The Bill has always been promoted as one to deal with the issue of so-called commercialised puppy 'farming'

Since hunt clubs do not breed pups on a commercial basis, but only to renew the numbers of hounds in their pack, they should be excluded from the terms of the Bill.

The specific commitments referred to are as follows:

1. A previous Minister, Dick Roche TD assured the associations representing hunt kennels that they were 'not part of the problem and so, therefore, would not be part of the solution'.
   
   
2. The Minister himself, John Gormley wrote to his Cabinet colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern TD, on 15th February 2008 as follows:

'Given that the primary objective of the regulations was to regulate Commercial Dog Breeding and, in view of the strict standards which apply to members of the Hunting Association of Ireland, it is my intention that groups affiliated to the HAI be granted an exemption from the requirements of the Regulations'. (Emphasis added)

The Minister has given no reason as to why he has executed such a major policy u turn in defiance of an undertaking given by his predecessor and a clear commitment in writing to a Government colleague.

Apart from the issues raised by the terms of the Bill itself, it is important for the integrity of politics and the democratic process that a formal commitment given by a Minister in relation to proposed legislation should be honoured.

In a reply to a recent Parliamentary Question from Deputy Tom Hayes (Fine Gael), the Minister confirmed that he has never met with the Hunting Association of Ireland in relation to his proposals.

The very minimum he should do is withdraw the Bill from the House to allow time for full, proper consultation to take place with all the affected interests.

The RISE! campaign requests Senators on all sides of the House to support our position in todays debate.

Further information:

RISE! Campaign Office PO Box 11792, Ashbourne, County Meath

Phone: 01-9690548, 01-9690549, 087-1504094

E-mail: info@risecampaign.ie

Website: www.risecampaign.ie

PR Adviser: Liam Cahill 01-8258188; 086-8174053; liamcahill@indigo.ie


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