Countryside Alliance Ireland - love the countryside

We are truly disappointed to learn that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Pat Rabbitte T.D., has announced that commercial fishing in part of Castlemaine Harbour will be permitted from the 5th to the 31st July 2011. 

This is despite major lobbying efforts by FISSTA, Countryside Alliance Ireland and other organisations urging the Minister to refrain from re-opening the first mixed stock fishery since their closure in 2007.  We believe that this decision represents a major slippage for Irish salmon conservation and may have severe repercussions far beyond our shores.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have launched three 12 week consultations which deal with the welfare of animals. 

The first consultation relates to the draft Welfare of Animals (Permitted Procedures by Lay Persons) Regulations which will, for the first time, set out the procedures that are permitted to be carried out on animals by non-veterinarians. The Regulations will provide clarity to all keepers of animals by listing all acceptable procedures, many of which are commonly practised today. The Regulations propose to ban the hot branding of horses for identification purposes. Prohibited procedures will be permitted in an emergency for the purpose of saving life or relieving the pain

Following on from the Wild Deer Association of Ireland's successful Shine a Light on Poaching campaign, which highlighted the illegal taking (poaching) of wild deer. "Report a Wildlife Crime" now allows the reporting of wildlife crimes such as deer poaching, by completing* a questionnaire. Each report will be logged and followed up by the relevant authorities.

Please send completed questionnaires to:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will forward them to the WDAI for their national database.

It is recommended where you suspect a Wildlife Crime has been committed, that you contact your local Garda station or National Parks & Wild Life Service office, taking note of all relevant details such as location, date, time, vehicle registration and other details - but never approach!