Countryside Alliance Ireland - love the countryside

The recent Second Reading of the draft Wildlife Bill for NI revealed that there is considerable support from MLA's of a variety of political persuasions for putting the Irish Hare under complete protection in NI.  This is despite the fact that in the 2008 Public Consultation (Review of the Wildlife Order) out of 37 respondents commenting on the issue only 6 supported this option.  

If Irish Hares were put under the Schedule of species offered protection at all times (known in the current Act as Schedule 5), it would become an offence intentionally to kill, injure, or take, possess, or trade in any wild animal listed in the Schedule, however, more significantly, it would also prohibit interference with places used for shelter or protection, or intentionally disturbing animals occupying such places.  

This would probably make it an offence intentionally to flush a hare out of its form or from off a bank or under a hedge, etc. 

There is even scope for debate as to whether a person out shooting or a huntsman using a pack of hounds to drag-hunt or hunt other quarries in an area where there may be hares which might be disturbed by such activity, could also be demonstrated to be committing an offence under the act, owing to his expert knowledge of how hares are likely to be affected by his activity.  

So protection could possibly have very wide ramifications on all country sports activities, although it is not clear that the MLAs calling for greater protection have considered these outcomes.  

All NI sportsmen should actively lobby their MLA's, to ask that the new Wildlife Bill should adopt the policy recommended by the Department following the public consultation and avoid the Irish Hare being put on Schedule 5 (the "Protected at All Times" list) of the new Act.  

The draft Bill has progressed to its Committee Stage and the Dept has indicated it hopes the new law will come in to force early this summer, so there is no time to lose.  Please write to or e-mail your MLA now & pass on this e-mail to all your sporting friends!