Pro-hunting campaign welcomes farming support
9th April 2010

The RISE! Rural Ireland Says Enough! campaign has welcomed the recent public expressions of support from the two main farming organisations, IFA and ICMSA.

‘This strong backing from the farm organisations underlines that everyone in rural Ireland stands united four square against the extreme influence of the Green Party over Government policy, particularly their plans to close down hunting, shooting, racing, coursing and angling’, a RISE! spokesperson said.

The President of the ICMSA, Jackie Cahill, has said: ‘Farmers and the general population are astonished to see the Environment Minister, John Gormley TD, devoting time and public resources to a matter that could only be described as utterly insignificant when set against the size and scale of the general problems facing the country and farmers in particular.’

He said it was almost impossible to imagine how Minister Gormley could have decided that this was a matter that needed his attention. Mr Cahill continued: ‘ICMSA members will share the irritation of people all over the country who wonder how it is that, in the midst of the worst economic and agricultural depression in seventy years, we have a senior cabinet minister who can find no more productive task with which to divert himself than the banning of a centuries-old hunt. Is Minister Gormley serious? Is his party serious? Where is the prioritising that we have a right to expect?’

Mr Cahill said it was time for deputies from parties that receive huge support in rural constituencies to stand up for the people they represent: ‘ICMSA will want to see some rural deputies rediscover their backbones and explain to the Greens, in general, and Minister Gormley, in particular, that it is simply not acceptable to have perfectly legitimate pastimes banned.’

The Vice President of the Irish Farmers’ Association, Eddie Downey, has also given his organisation’s support to the campaign. Mr Downey said the campaign to defend hunting and other traditional rural sports was an integral part of the wider battle to defend rural Ireland on issues like cutbacks in farmers’ REPS payments and restrictions on turf cutting.

The RISE! campaign was formed last January by sixteen organisations representing an estimated 300,000 fans of traditional rural sports. The campaign is lobbying TDs, Senators and Councillors in defence of the traditional pastimes. It has received support from bookies, jockeys and trainers and, so far, more than 58,000 people have signed the RISE! petition.