The present coalition has referred to itself as one of the most eco-aware governments ever; partly I presume because the Greens are included in the three-party arrangement.

But there‘s nothing green or eco-friendly about the heritage minister’s decision to licence another season of live hare coursing.

This practice involves the snatching of thousands of wild hares from our countryside by coursing clubs.

These timid creatures are held in captivity for weeks prior to being forced to run from dogs, all for a laugh and a gamble.

A percentage of hares used will be mauled or otherwise injured by the muzzled greyhounds.

Hare coursing opposes being eco-aware

The hare is a brittle-boned animal and most breakages don’t heal.

Hares that escape seemingly unscathed, may die following release back into the wild from stress-related aliments brought on by the unnatural period of captivity and/or the contrived chases within a wired enclosure.

We are the only part of Europe, excepting Iberia, that permits this so-called country sport.

In Britain, posters proclaim it to be a serious criminal offence punishable by heavy fines or jail terms. Northern Ireland banned it in 2011.

Conservation

Animal welfare aside, coursing stands condemned on conservation grounds.

The Irish Hare, a sub-species of the Mountain Hare that is unique to Ireland, has been in decline for decades due to loss of habitat resulting from urbanisation and the downside of modern farming.

This threat is compounded by the spectre of the RHD2 virus, which has been present in the Irish countryside for the past two years. It is fatal to hares and rabbits and highly contagious.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has confirmed that the disease can be spread by the use of nets to trap hares, which ought to be a concern given that over 70 coursing clubs engage in this activity.

Yet, the government has given the green light to five more months of hare coursing. A considerable portion of this period will be marked by severe weather conditions, adding to the hare’s plight.

Running for its life, it will twist and turn and dodge in mud-caked, ice-covered or water logged fields, or be lashed by the elements.

How anyone, politician or otherwise, purporting to be eco-aware could support such a practice is completely beyond me. It makes an absolute mockery of what the Green movement/ideology supposedly stands for.

One might as well support the pollution of our rivers and lakes, rampant forest fires, or the hole in the ozone layer.

From John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co. Kilkenny.