THERE IS CROSS-party support in the Dáil for a Social Democrats bill to ban the “barbaric practice” of hare coursing. 

Hare coursing is a controversial sport that involves a hare being released in an enclosure and chased down by greyhounds, before being let go into the wild. Although the dogs are muzzled, the hares can still be injured and even killed.

It is a practice that is banned in the UK, including Northern Ireland, and most European countries. Ireland is one of just three European countries where it remains legal. 

Campaigners and some politicians have long fought to outlaw the practice in Ireland. 

In 2023, Social Democrat TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore brought the Protection of Hares Bill before the Dáil, but it lapsed following last year’s general election. 

Whitmore hopes to reintroduce the bill, which would essentially ban hare coursing by stopping the Minister for Housing and Heritage from issuing licences, again in the coming weeks. 

This time, it will be co-sponsored by People Before Profit, Labour and the Green Party. 

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has also previously introduced a private members’ bill to ban the practice. 

She did not reach out to Sinn Féin, telling The Journal that the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin “wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on many environmental issues”.

Whitmore added, however, that it would be “very positive” if Sinn Féin was interested in being a co-sponsor and that she would be happy to include them.

“It would send a very strong message to the government for so many opposition parties to come together to push for this ban,” she said.

Whitmore told The Journal that Ireland is an outlier globally when it comes to hare coursing.

“Most other countries have recognised that this is an unacceptable and inhumane activity in the modern era.

“In fact, the majority of Irish people don’t want hare coursing to be allowed but unfortunately, successive governments have failed to ban it. This doesn’t make sense to me from an animal welfare or biodiversity perspective. It’s time to put an end to this barbaric practice,” she said. 

The Journal Investigates (TJI) has reported extensively on hare coursing and the related underground wildlife trade in Ireland.

Last year, TJI reported that the government department responsible for animal welfare in hare coursing monitored just four out of 200 events in the last five years.

Supporters of coursing told TJI that a ban would be “short-sighted”, “irresponsible” and would threaten hares by driving the activity underground and into the hands of illegal hunters.