The Green Party and blood sports

The Green Party has pledged to ban blood sports in Ireland if it succeeds in getting into government after the next general election. In the party's latest policy document, it promises that, when in government, it will "introduce legislation to end blood sports" and "campaign for heavy penalties for organisers of, and participants in, illegal blood sports". 
The statements appear in an extensive animal welfare section of the policy document and copper-fasten the Green Party's commitment to ridding Ireland of blood-sport cruelty.

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent says that when his party gets the opportunity, it will ban hare coursing, foxhunting, carted deer hunting and mink hunting and encourage the alternatives of drag hunting and drag coursing.

Not only are the Greens determined to secure a blood-sport ban in Ireland but, if voted into the next government, they will also turn their attention to animal abusers across the continent. "The Party will campaign through the European Parliament for legislation, which will make it an offence to organise or participate in any illegal blood sport in Europe," their policy document outlines.

Given that the "Green tide" is washing up on Irish political shores, a ban on all forms of live hunting with dogs is a viable political achievement...

Once a ban is in place, maybe then Ireland can claim it is serious about the protection of the rights of the non-human members of our society.

John Tierney

Campaigns Director-Association of Hunt Saboteurs