Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Jennifer Whitmore (SD), Wicklow

This is what it comes down to - it comes down to empathy, as Deputy Murphy said earlier. It comes down to whether we can look at a wild creature and feel that we should not torture it or inflict any level of pain or stress where we can avoid it. I am not talking about hunting for food purposes or any of that. I am talking about hunting for sport. For creatures like the hare, I just do not understand how anyone can be happy that their entertainment is worth more than putting a creature like that through a level of pain. I do not think it is a ridiculous argument to compare it to a domestic animal. I really do not.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:14+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02