The Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020, proposed by Paul Murphy TD People before Profit, was debated in the Dáil on the 2nd July.
Nine TDs spoke during the debate with six TDs speaking in favour of passing the bill that would outlaw hare coursing in Ireland.
Three TDs spoke in favour of continue to use the Irish hare as a live lure for two greyhounds.
A summary of the debate provides an overview of the different opinions on hare coursing.
Paul Murphy TD, People Before Profit-Solidarity, said: “It is an honour to finally be moving this at Second Stage after the Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill was first introduced in 2020. It has been a long road getting to this point. This section of the road will finish next Wednesday with a vote.
“I will start and finish with an appeal to the public to get on to their TDs and demand they reflect the big majority opinion in this country that we should take this opportunity to ban hare coursing.
“This road has been going on for a very long time. This is the third Private Members’ Bill to attempt to ban the barbaric practice of hare coursing. Tony Gregory tried over 30 years ago. Maureen O’Sullivan introduced her Bill in 2015 at First Stage and it was voted on at Second Stage in 2016. Now, here we are again, ten years later in 2026 as one of only three European countries that still allow this annual torture of the hare to continue.
“In the last 15 years, more than 65,000 Irish hares have been captured from the wild and forced to participate in barbarism all because a relatively small number of people enjoy watching animals being absolutely terrorised and some want to make money through gambling on this torture. The Irish hare is a unique subspecies of mountain hare found only on the island of Ireland. We do not have many unique animals but the hare is one of them.
“Its cultural status was cemented for many decades on the old Irish three pence coin. It is iconic across Irish folklore where hares were often seen as spirits of the dead, leading to a taboo against eating them. We could do with renewing and broadening that ancient taboo by banning hare coursing too.
“We would not be here at this step of the road, debating this today, without the tireless and Trojan work of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, the National Animal Rights Association and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Some of their tireless activists are in the Visitors Gallery today.
“Countless dedicated individual activists have stuck with this day in, day out over many years. “They are the best of humanity. They know what empathy is. Those who support this cruelty do not.
“I point out that the Bill is explicit in allowing lure coursing, which is where there is a mechanical hare, as happens in Australia.
“I will finish with two points. The first is an appeal to Members of this House to put pressure on their parties to fight for a free vote and, in any case, to vote with their conscience. They should not vote to allow this cruel practice to continue.
“Second, I appeal to those outside of this House, namely, the ordinary, decent people, both rural and urban, who oppose this practice. The vote will be next Wednesday. We have time to build more pressure on TDs and parties to take this opportunity to stop hare coursing.”
Fianna Fáil
Niall Collins TD, Fianna Fáil, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Marine said: I wish to clearly state at the outset that the area of animal welfare is of the utmost importance to me, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Government as a whole.
“Our Department devotes considerable resources to protecting the well-being of animals and dealing with breaches of animal welfare legislation. The Government remains fully committed to promoting good practices that respect the welfare of all animals.
The Government fully recognises the strong views on both sides of this debate and policy area, which have been the subject of extensive debate over the years. On behalf of the Government, I am opposing the Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020. I will now outline the reasons. During the passage of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, a detailed debate was held in this House on the issue of hare coursing. The Dáil voted overwhelmingly to allow the continuation of hare coursing in accordance with certain rules.
“The 2013 Act in particular states that the hare can only be coursed in a space from which it has a reasonable chance of escape. If a hare is chased in a space where it has no reasonable chance of escape, it violates section 12 of the Act and constitutes a criminal animal cruelty offence.
“Where a specific case of animal neglect or cruelty is identified, offences may be prosecuted under the 2013 Act. When the Act was enacted, it significantly increased the penalties. On summary conviction, this may include a class A fine of up to €5,000 and, in some instances, a class A fine and-or up to six months’ imprisonment. On indictment, it may include a fine of up €250,000 and or imprisonment up to five years.
“We are opposing the Bill. We do not do government by referendum or opinion poll findings, as quoted by Deputy Murphy. We take a structured and regulated approach to this and other issues. While it is a minority pursuit, it does not mean it cannot continue. Under this Government, it will continue.”
Fine Gael
William Aird TD, Fine Gael, said: “I ask somebody to please look into the overall picture and find out the real reason our hare population is going down. I acknowledge that is happening and I support all the studies which go into it. We find ourselves seeing fewer and fewer of the curlew, corncrake, and all of the other birds which at one time we saw frequently. We come along and ask if it is because we are building houses in rural areas.
“I saw a debate one night about that. It has nothing to do with that. We need to go back and see what the root problem is when animals like that go extinct. If we are going to have a debate, we should not have one where the issue is being blamed on one particular set of people who, in my opinion, are looking after the hare. We should look at the wider picture and then come back to a debate when there is proof.”
Sinn Féin
Martin Kenny TD, Sinn Féin, said: “We all have a responsibility to ensure that animal cruelty does not happen. At the same time, we also have a responsibility to ensure that we do not create situations that make animal cruelty worse. Bringing in a blanket ban of that nature could give rise to such a danger. That is why I would encourage the Minister of State to consider speaking to the senior Minister in respect of it, and that we would look at having a commission in place to examine this and to report back and to see if recommendations are required.”
Social Democrats
Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats said: “Some 77% of Irish people favour a ban on hare coursing. The reason they want to see a ban on hare coursing is, simply put, that it is cruel. It is completely unnatural to pull a wild animal from their environment, to cage it for weeks and put it out in front of a greyhound and essentially let it run for its life. To do that and to call it a sport is probably one of the things that I have most difficulty with.
“We need to have a conversation about it. I have been listening to the debate. We need to have a conversation about natural, ecological processes in this House versus human intervention and using wild animals and being cruel to them for entertainment.”
Independent
Barry Heneghan TD, Independent, said: “I thank Deputy Paul Murphy. I fundamentally disagree with him a lot of the time but I do agree with him on this issue. I welcome the fact that he mentioned an Independent TD. It is good to see that he thinks some of them are good. Tony Gregory was a proud Dubliner, a man who raised this issue back before there was lobbying and an online world, and before the survey was done showing 77% oppose coursing.”
Social Democrats
Jen Cummins TD, Social Democrats, said: “I thank Deputy Murphy for bringing this Bill forward. It is so important. Hare coursing is called a blood sport. That is where we should start. In what world is that acceptable, a blood sport? Think of what that actually means. What previous contributors have said has really landed with me today. We need to look at anything that is called a blood sport and realise that maybe in 2026, we are a little bit outdated.”
People Before Profit-Solidarity
Ruth Coppinger TD, People Before Profit-Solidarity said: “Enclosed hare coursing, like we have in Ireland, was banned in Britain in 1914. It was deemed unsporting. It is so contrived and unnatural. Those were the words that were used by the coursing clubs that agreed with it being banned. Ireland is becoming a complete and utter outlier on animal rights.
“I am embarrassed at some of the things that I am about to talk about here. If anybody is listening from any other country, it is the idea that some of these practices are continuing in 2026. We have seen other countries banning greyhound racing, such as Wales, Scotland and New Zealand. This is way worse.
“We had a debate on fox-hunting here a few months ago. In many ways, this is worse because it is taking a wild animal, capturing it, putting it in cages for weeks on end, making it do something completely unnatural and then it is allowing greyhounds in to chase after it in a very enclosed space, although I know there are escapes.
“I noticed that the Minister of State kept using the word “muzzled” in his answer. The hare does not know that the greyhound is muzzled. It does not make any difference. They are running for their lives in terror. They can still have damage done to them, including injuries and so on. The fact that the hare is protected but licences are given to capture it and treat it in this way is beyond belief.”
Green Party
Roderic O’ Gorman TD, Green Party, said: “I am happy and pleased to support Deputy Murphy’s Bill today on behalf of the Green Party. This is probably the fourth substantive debate we have had on animal welfare related issues during the term of this Dáil. We are discussing hare coursing today. We discussed fox hunting, puppy farms and greyhound racing.
“I recognise the work of those Deputies who have brought these issues forward as Private Members’ Bills or motions. I welcome the focus during the term of the Dáil on these issues. It is indicative of the fact that people have moved past where the bigger parties are on issues of animal welfare.”
A vote on the bill will take next Wednesday, 8th July.
It has been reported that Government TDs will oppose the bill, alongside Sinn Féin.
Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members]
Read: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2026-07-02/41/
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QE6Wt_i644
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