Seven Fianna Fáil backbenchers spoke against the legislation prohibiting deer hunting with packs of dogs.
The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010, which was introduced by Minister for the Environment John Gormley, applies to the Meath-based Ward Union Hunt, which is the only group of hunters hunting deer with hounds in the State. The House will vote on the Bill next week.
Mary Wallace (Meath East) warned that the ban represented a threat to the rural economy. “It will result in further job losses in rural Ireland, but most of all it will have a disproportionate effect on the Ward Union Hunt,’’ she added.
She said she simply could not agree that the Bill was needed for animal welfare and public safety reasons. Johnny Brady (Meath West) warned that banning a hunt to address public safety concerns was overreacting.
He added that he wanted to warn the Minister, the Taoiseach and members of the Government “that they cannot depend on my support whether this Government lasts two months or two years…if anything else is tinkered with you have not my support’’.
During exchanges with Opposition TDs, Mr Brady indicated that he would be supporting the Bill. Thomas Byrne (Meath East) questioned the constitutionality of the legislation and suggested that President McAleese should refer it to the Council of State. “Why are we legislating to target one particular hunt?,’’ he added.
Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South)_said that an assessment should be carried out on the impact of the legislation. “I do not believe that there has been proper consultation,’’ he added. He said the Bill was “not fair to the decent, plain people of Ireland’’.
Sean Power (FF, Kildare South) said they were proposing to ban an activity that was going on for generations. He warned that if the legislation was passed, then “these men and women who decided to continue this hobby will shortly become criminals’’.
Maire Hoctor (Tipperary North) said that horse, hound and deer were synonymous with rural life.
“It was with regret that I learned last October that the ban on the 200-year tradition of the Ward Union Hunt in Co Meath was part of the newly-agreed programme for government,’’ she added.
“It was brought about with absolutely no negotiation or consultation with the Fianna Fáil backbenchers which makes it all the more difficult to proceed in supporting the Bill now.’’ Michael Kennedy (FF, Dublin North) said there should be an impact assessment undertaken on the issue.
There were four direct employees involved with a business turnover of €1.4 million. Introducing the Bill, Mr Gormley said said the decision to introduce the legislation was not taken lightly.
“As deputies are aware, there is only one staghound pack in the State which operates in county Meath,’’ he added.
“When I became Minister in June 2007, I had concerns from both an animal welfare and a public safety point of view relating to the operation of the hunt meetings operated by the hunt club in question.’’
He believed, he added, that those concerns were shared by some of his predecessors as Minister.
Mr Gormley said the hunt club in question maintained a herd of domesticated red deer in purpose-built deer parks which adjoined their hunt kennels.
“I consider that it is not acceptable to allow a hunt with hounds and horses of what is essentially a farm animal,’’ said Mr Gormley.
“We do not consider it acceptable to set dogs in pursuit of any other farm animal.’’ Mr Gormley said there were public safety issues involved, as it was simply not possible for the hunt to prevent deer in flight from leaping through hedges on to public roads.
“I recall that there was an incident last December during on one of their hunt meetings when a deer had to be put down after it had leapt on to a road and collided with a car,’’ the Minister said.
Mr Gormley said he had stated on a number of occasions that the passage of the legislation would not have an impact on other country practices such as fox-hunting, hare-hunting, hare-coursing and deer-stalking.
Earlier Mr Gormley accused the Labour Party of making a cyncial U-turn on its position on blood sports.
He described the party’s decision to oppose a ban on stag hunting as astounding.
“I am astounded and disappointed at the cynical decision by the Labour party to abandon its opposition to blood sports," he said today. "It signals ongoing difficulties they have in articulating their own policies when these are at odds with Fine Gael.”
Labour last night said it intended to oppose the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, which will outlaw hunting deer with packs of dogs. The legislation is to be debated in the Dáil later today.
A number of Labour TDs, such as Emmet Stagg of Kildare North, Longford-Westmeath TD Willie Penrose, Kildare South TD Jack Wall, previously said they did not support the ban.
Party leader Eamon Gilmore, and former leaders Pat Rabbitte and Ruairí Quinn have previously expressed strong opposition to the pursuit.
A formal stance against the Bill was not adopted until the parliamentary party met on Tuesday evening.
Mr Gormley said the decision represented “a complete and utter U-turn”.
”It is a sad day for politics in Ireland when the Labour Party decides to vote in support of the continuation of a blood sport. It appears that for the Labour Party, no principle is too cherished to be abandoned if they think there are votes in it for them,” he said.
”For Labour, the vote on stag hunting is about more than animal welfare. It is a test of the party’s convictions and principles.
Mr Gormley said it is the latest issue on which the party has adopted a reactionary or conservative stance for the sake of populism. “The party’s pick n’ mix approach to policy is incoherent and lacks any credibility,” he said.
Labour’s environment spokeswoman Joanna Tuffy said last night the party had difficulty with Mr Gormley’s approach to the legislation. She said the Bill contained inconsistencies and there were more urgent animal welfare issues. “It’s trophy legislation to mask a lack of achievement."
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports said Labour's decison was deplorable and that its TDs should be ashamed of themselves for adopting the stance "for their own cynical reasons".
Separately, Fianna Fáil Senator Denis O'Donovan says he has lost the party whip for abstaining in a vote on the Dog Breeding Establishment Bill in the Seanad last week.
Mr O'Donovan, from Bantry in Co Cork, said he was not surprised but "felt a bit hard done by". He was summoned to Government Chief Whip John Curran's office at lunchtime.