Green Party Leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley TD today announced his decision to grant the Ward Union hunt a licence under the Wildlife Act, 1976. However the licence is strictly conditioned so that the actual pursuit of a stag by hounds is not permitted.

Section 26 of the Wildlife Act, 1976, provides that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government may issue a licence for the hunting of stags with a pack of stag hounds. Minister Gormley has examined the Ward Union Hunt's licence application for the 2007/2008 season. The Minister raised a number of issues of serious concern with the Ward Union Hunt including in relation to animal welfare, conservation and protection of stags generally and compliance with previous licence conditions.

These concerns have arisen particularly since the incident last January when a stag ran into a school playground in Kildalkey, Co. Meath, while parents waited to pick up their children from the school.

Meetings were held between officials of his Department and representatives of the Ward Union Hunt and correspondence was exchanged with the Ward Union Hunt in order to convey the Minister's serious concerns to the Hunt and provide the Hunt with an opportunity to address these concerns. Following further recent clarification from the Ward Union Hunt on some outstanding issues, the Minister has decided to issue a licence to the Hunt subject to twenty-eight conditions.

Minister Gormley said, "The licence with the conditions I have granted to the Ward Union Hunt will allow for the hunting of stags in a manner which will provide for the protection of the stag and the general public. In effect it permits the Ward Union to release a deer to lay a scent trail along the course of the hunt, but I am insisting that the deer must be recaptured before the hounds are released and the full hunt gets underway. I believe that the conditions attached to the licence address my concerns from a wider public policy perspective about the public safety issues surrounding the hunting of a large animal by a large group on horseback and a pack of hounds through an increasingly urbanised countryside".

This is the only hunt to be licensed by the Minister and the decision has no implications whatsoever for any other country pursuits.

The Minister also said that officials of his Department will monitor hunt meetings to ensure compliance with the conditions of the licence.

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The conditions on the license follow:

GENERAL

1. Deer may be hunted with the above-mentioned pack during the period beginning on the 19th day of December 2007 and ending on the 31st day of March 2008.

2. The Ward Union Hunt Club shall inform the Minister of the number and sex of all deer released and not recaptured together with an indication of where such deer were last sighted. This information shall be supplied as soon as possible after 31st day of March 2008.

3. All hunts undertaken under the terms of this licence shall be carried out in accordance with the Implementation Document adopted by the hunt committee and attached to this licence.

4. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government may appoint a person or persons to undertake the monitoring of the Ward Union Hunt Club in a manner to be determined by the Minister and the licensee will co-operate with such person or persons. In this regard the Ward Union Hunt will, if requested, facilitate a person appointed by the Minister to travel in one of the Hunt vehicles to monitor the activities of the Hunt.

5. The Ward Union Hunt Club shall facilitate inspection of a hunted deer by a veterinary surgeon or other suitably qualified person appointed by the Minister.

ANIMAL WELFARE ISSUES.

6. The deer in the parkland to be maintained to best husbandry methods in conformity with veterinary advice and proven deer management practices.

7. All deer in the park over two year old to be tagged and recorded in the Herd Register and records be kept of all deer released for hunting.

8. Only sound, fit and mature deer, over four years of age to be selected for hunting and these to be separated from the main herd before the hunting season.

9. The selected deer should be familiarised with the loading procedure prior to and throughout the hunting season.

10. The acting Field Master is responsible for conducting the hunt and for implementing the procedures set out in Conditions nos. 11 to 18.

11. The deer to be transported in an approved specially designed cart and the welfare of the deer during transport, to conform with Articles 4, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16 and Chapter 1 of the First Schedule, Disease of Animals (Protection of Animals During Transport) Order 1995. Once the hounds pick up the scent of the first deer, arrangements should be made for the cart containing the reserve deer to be returned to the deer park.

12. The deer shall be driven by experienced mounted Ward Union Hunt personnel to the end point of the Hunt , having due regard for the condition of the animal.

13. The hounds shall not be released until the deer has been recaptured. At that time, the hounds may be released and the hunt may proceed.

14. The Huntsman and Whips are responsible for the control of the hounds.

15. A panel of followers, competent in the capture and handling of deer, will be drawn up each season and the Field Master or his nominee will, during the hunt, call on some of these to capture a deer and lead the deer to the cart. Only these competent persons shall be allowed capture the deer. They shall be clearly identifiable in the field. Hunt members and mounted followers, other than the above-mentioned panel, shall not attempt to capture a deer. Hunt staff shall not permit pedestrian followers and spectators, other than persons on the above-mentioned panel to be with, or attempt to capture the deer.

16. Deer to be recaptured only if this can be accomplished without danger to the deer.

17. Opportunities for recapturing outliers should be continuously and actively reviewed by the Field Masters and Hunt staff and acted upon whenever practical.

18. Captured deer, on return to the deer park, should be inspected at unloading, released back into the hunting group, monitored subsequently and, where appropriate, veterinary advice sought, and followed.

19. Deer captured by whatever means should not be hunted again for at least 30 days.

CONTROL OF THE HUNT

20. The Ward Union Hunt Club shall have due regard to the wishes of the owners and occupiers of land.

21. The Field Masters and Hunt Staff shall stop the Hunt and recall the hounds if the hunt cannot or cannot reasonably be expected to be conducted safely.

22. The Ward Union Hunt Club shall ensure that "road followers" and those participating in the hunt are fully informed of their responsibilities pursuant to the Licence and will respect at all times the requests and directions of road marshals appointed by the Club.

23. The day, time and location of each meet of the club shall be arranged to take into account the volume of traffic on public roads, peak traffic times and school collection times.

24. The Hunt/club will arrange for experienced ‘Road Marshals’ and ‘Road Whips’, to control hounds and assist the hunt staff, Field Masters, Mounted Followers where crossing public roads to minimise disruption to road–users.

25. The Hunt will notify landowners in the immediate vicinity of each meet.

26. The Hunt will make best endeavours to replace/re-instate any boundaries interfered with by the Hunt on the day of Hunting and if necessary return on further days to complete such.

27. The hunt shall conduct its activities so as not to interfere with or inconvenience the general public, this includes the parking of vehicles, horseboxes and riding on the roads.

28. Any substantial breach of this licence could lead to its revocation or non-renewal by the Minister having regard to the relevant circumstances.