Nearly 82% of journnal.ie readers want a ban on hare coursing.
In a recent online poll hosted by the journal.ie which asked the question, Should Hare Coursing Be Banned? viewers voted in support of banning this barbaric activity.
The poll findings (as of the 20th April) showed that 81. 5% agreed that hare coursing should be banned, 15.3% said no while 3.2% were unsure.
This rejection of using the Irish Hare as a live lure will add to calls for this activity to be banned.
Three European countries, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, still allow legal hare coursing.
Coursing is banned in the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland, and most European countries.
Political Action on Hare Coursing
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, be co-sponsored by People Before Profit, Labour and the Green Party, during the lifetime of this Dáil.
In comments to the thejournal.ie she said, “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.
A review of the comments in response to this online poll has shown that the majority of readers supported hare protection measures and agree that Irish wildlife needs protection.
Supporting comments for hare coursing claim that that this activity is pro-hare and pro-countryside. The trope that this was an urban v rural issue was written into many of the pro-hare coursing comments.
Reference Box:
Legal Hare Coursing
Legal hare coursing is controlled under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 and administered by the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) and is the responsibility of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
All greyhounds are muzzled during these coursing events. [enclosed]
Licences issued to the ICC under the Wildlife Acts to capture and tag hares for coursing meetings.
If, while lawfully coursing a hare, the hare is hunted or coursed in a space from which it does not have a reasonable chance of escape, this is considered an offence under Section 12 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 (Prohibition on Animal Cruelty).
Source: Animal Law (2025) animallaw.ie/other-issues/legal-hare-coursing. (Online). Available at: https://animallaw.ie/(Accessed: 23 April 2025).
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