Political Views / General Election 2020
Find out where political parties stand on animal cruelty issues.
Fine Gael
Fine Gael has voted against proposed bans on foxhunting, hare coursing, digging out, terrierwork, ferreting, badger culling, fur farming and the use of animals in circuses. It only agreed to a phasing out of fur farming after a majority of TDs from other parties joined calls for a ban. Fine Gael supports massive state grants to horse and greyhound racing – more than one and quarter billion euros since 2001, including €84 million for 2020. Three months after RTE Investigates exposed the shocking cruelty and killing in greyhound racing, party leader and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar declared in Dail Eireann that he goes to Shelbourne Park stadium and “I intend to go again”. Fine Gael’s Josepha Madigan has continued licensing hare coursing, despite a deadly, highly-contagious RHD2 virus threatening the future of the Irish Hare species. Simon Coveney (Fine Gael, Cork South Central) has admitted participating in foxhunting. During a Dail debate in 2015, during which he defended the cruel activity, Simon Coveney revealed: “I have hunted”. He included an exemption for hare coursing and foxhunting in the Animal Health and Welfare Act which gives hunters and coursers immunity from prosecution for what would otherwise be an offence of animal cruelty.
Fianna Fail
Fianna Fail has voted against proposed bans on foxhunting, hare coursing, digging out, terrierwork, ferreting, badger culling, fur farming and the use of animals in circuses. In 2019, the party came out in favour of a ban on fur farming. The party supports massive state grants to horse and greyhound racing – more than one and quarter billion euros since 2001, including €84 million for 2020. In January 2020, party leader Micheal Martin said that, if elected, his party would “put pressure on” to try and save Enniscorthy greyhound stadium from closure – a track where, in the past five years alone, 90 greyhounds suffered injuries and 20 were killed by a vet.
Sinn Fein
Sinn Fein is not in favour of a ban on hare coursing or foxhunting. The party was previously opposed to coursing but reversed this policy. Sinn Fein voted against a proposed ban on coursing in 2016. In 2017, an Ard Fheis motion calling for the party to support a ban on coursing was narrowly rejected. In 2018, a motion was passed reaffirming the party’s opposition to “an outright ban” on coursing. Sinn Fein is not in favour of a ban on greyhound racing but it has voted against the massive state grants that are keeping greyhound racing afloat. The party is also opposed to state funding to horse racing and has voted against it. In 2018, party leader Mary Lou McDonald announced that Sinn Fein would support legislation to ban fur farming. Responding to correspondence from the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, Deputy McDonald stated: “After consultation with our Policy Department, I can confirm that Sinn Fein passed a motion at an Ard Fheis a number of years ago to ban mink farming. I am therefore happy to confirm that we will be in a position to support the legislation when it is introduced at second stage.”
Labour Party
The Labour Party has voted against proposed bans on foxhunting, hare coursing, digging out, terrierwork, ferreting, badger culling, fur farming and the use of animals in circuses. In 2018, it came out in favour of a ban on fur farming. The party supports massive state grants to horse and greyhound racing – more than a one and quarter billion euros since 2001, including €84 million for 2020.
Green Party
In government in 2010, it achieved a ban on carted stag hunting (using packs of hounds). The party’s animal welfare policy states that “the Green Party is opposed to all blood sports, and will bring in legislation to end hare coursing, fox hunting, hare hunting and mink hunting”. The party will also “ensure that sufficient resources are made available to enforce existing laws against stag hunting, dog fighting, cock fighting and animal baiting.” Party leader Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South) has stated: “”I am firmly opposed to the practice of fox hunting and hare coursing which I feel cannot be defended on the grounds of preserving rural traditions or indeed any other conservation or rural development arguments.” Deputy Leader Catherine Martin TD (Dublin Rathdown) has assured ICABS that “the Green Party supports a ban on hare coursing – the Green Party has always been opposed to all blood sports and remains resolutely so.”
The Green Party is opposed to massive state grants to horse and greyhound racing and has voted against them.
The Green Party has also promised to: End badger-culling by snares and shooting and support alternative measures such as oral TB vaccination, Introduce regulations where necessary “to strengthen existing legislation, to increase penalties, and to make fines subject to attachment orders”, Prohibit the importation of any animals captured in the wild to be sold or kept as pets, Ban all non-medical animal experiments, including the use of toxicology experiments on animals for cosmetic botulinum toxin products, Prohibit the use of painful procedures without anaesthesia; experiments which subject animals to “severe and prolonged pain” will no longer be permitted. See the party’s full animal welfare policy document at https://www.greenparty.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Green-Party-Animal-Welfare-Policy_June-20151.pdf
Solidarity
Solidarity is in favour of a ban on foxhunting, hare coursing, greyhound racing and fur farming. Solidarity TDs Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West) and Mick Barry (Cork North Central) and Paul Murphy (Dublin South West) initiated the Prohibition of Fur Farming Bill that will phase out fur farming in Ireland and the party was also behind the Bill that led to a ban on wild animals in circuses. Solidarity TDs voted in favour of proposed bans on hare coursing, foxhunting, terrierwork, digging-out and ferreting. Solidarity is opposed to state funding of horse and greyhound racing and has voted against it. Solidarity TDs have attended protests against the cruel greyhound industry.
People Before Profit
People Before Profit is in favour of a ban on fox hunting, hare coursing, fur farming, terrierwork, digging-out and ferreting. People Before Profit TDs have voted in favour of a proposed ban on hare coursing. They are opposed to state funding of horse and greyhound racing and have voted against it.
People Before Profit’s Animal Welfare policies include: Introduce a complete ban on the hunting of wild mammals with hounds, Introduce a complete ban on coursing live hares, Ban fur farming and ban the sale of fur within Ireland, End badger culling by traps, snares and shooting and Increase financial support for animal welfare charities – https://news.pbp.ie/policies/animal-welfare-policy/
Social Democrats
The Social Democrats are in favour of a ban on bloodsports. In 2016, the party voted in favour of Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan’s bill which sought to ban hare coursing. Joint-leaders Roisin Shortall (Dublin North-West) and Catherine Murphy (Kildare North) have voted in favour of proposed legislation amendments which aimed to ban hare coursing, foxhunting, terrierwork, digging-out and ferreting. They also pushed for a ban on fur farming. The Social Democrats are opposed to state funding to horse and greyhound racing and have voted against it.
Independents 4 Change
Independents 4 Change TDs have voted in favour of proposed bans on hare coursing and foxhunting. They have voted against state grants to horse and greyhound racing and have been a strong voice in the Dail in calling for an end to bloodsports and fur farming.
RISE (Radical, Internationalist, Socialist, Environmentalist)
RISE is in favour of a ban on hare coursing, foxhunting, fur farming, etc. Condemning hare coursing as “an undeniably cruel and barbaric practice”, RISE TD Paul Murphy voted in favour of a proposed ban on the bloodsport. He is opposed to state grants to horse and greyhound racing and has voted against them. Along with Solidarity TDs Ruth Coppinger and Mick Barry, he initiated the Prohibition of Fur Farming Bill that will phase out fur farming in Ireland. With Solidarity, he also successfully lobbied to secure a ban on wild animals in circuses. He was a guest speaker at the ICABS/GREY2K “Greyhounds Around the Globe” conference in Dublin in December 2019. Referring to the campaign to ban greyhound racing, he commented: “I think we should be optimistic that we can win this in Ireland. The way you get a sense of that is by the behaviour of your opponents. If you weren’t having an impact, well then the greyhound industry wouldn’t be concerned at all. It’s precisely because you’re having an impact, because public opinion has changed dramatically on the issue of greyhounds in the last number of years – that’s why there was the campaign of bullying and intimidation to get Buswells [Hotel] ditched as the [original] venue for the conference.”
Aontu
In 2019, Aontú party leader, Peadar Tóibín, confirmed that he and his party are in favour of a ban on fur farming. In June 2016, Peadar Tóibín voted against a proposed ban on hare coursing. In 2016 and 2017, he voted against the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations which granted €80 million/€80 million of taxpayers’ money to horse and greyhound racing. He did not vote for or against the funding in 2018 and 2019.
Speaking in the Dail in 2018, he noted that “massive damage has been done over the past 40 years to Irish wildlife”. “We know that modern society is particularly bad when it comes to diversity and its impact on nature,” he stated. “We currently see billions of tonnes of plastic in either landfill or in the sea, killing diversity there. We know that as a society, we are doing massive damage to the climate at present. We know this damages us because we have a symbiotic relationship with nature, the natural world is vital for human well-being and biodiversity is an urgent issue.”
Renua
During a November 2015 Dail debate, Renua founding member, and then party leader, Lucinda Creighton suggested that hunting be developed as an Irish tourism product – “I think we need to develop a lot more of our tourism industry around the horse equestrian sector generally – be it sport horses, be it the hunting sector, be it racing and so on. A lot of that can be integrated because often it’s the same people who are interested in all the different elements. I think there’s real potential there”. Lucinda Creighton lost her Dail seat in the 2016 general election and resigned as Renua leader in May 2016.
ACTION ALERT
Urge parties to pledge support for a ban on hare coursing and foxhunting and an end to state funding of greyhound racing. RED C opinion polls have shown that a 77% majority want hare coursing and foxhunting banned, while two out of three adults want the government to stop funding greyhound racing.
Find out the views of individual Election 2020 candidates on our special election page: https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/01/08/general-election-2020-candidates-and-animal-cruelty-issues/
Question candidates about where they stand on animal cruelty issues.
Please reject candidates who support animal cruelty and give your Number 1 vote to any candidate who pledges to push for an end to hare coursing, foxhunting, greyhound racing, etc.
#GE2020 #GeneralElection2020
