Hare Coursing and John Gormley

John Gormley the Minister of the Environment has authorised hare-netting every year since entering Govt in 2007. This allows coursing events to be staged nationwide from the end of September each year. If, however, the minister withholds the hare-netting licence, there can be no coursing. Without hares to course, the baiting events would have to be cancelled.

An Irish Independent article on this is available at http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/decision-time-on-hare-coursing-1849993.html , and the obligatory Politics.ie thread is available here http://www.politics.ie/green-party/91341-decision-time-gormley-will-there-hare-coursing-september-2009-a.html

So Gormley directly facilitates hare coursing and baiting by issuing hare netting licences. He has issued such licenses in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

This is what Green TD Paul Gogarty said in 2006 ... "Hare coursing involves cruelty to both hares and dogs. This has to stop. I am not anti-greyhound racing, but an industry that knowingly engages in animal cruelty for profit is not one that should be allowed operate in such a fashion. Do these parliamentary colleagues condone the stress caused to hares that are captured for up to six weeks? Do they condone the deaths from stress and maulings that still occur, even with muzzles on the greyhounds? What about the illegal bloodings that still go on and the putting down of greyhounds that have outlived their economic usefulness? Is there not an element of hypocrisy involved?"

So why is there still hare coursing in Ireland Minister Gormley?