Madam, - As someone born, reared and still resident in rural Ireland, I am getting increasingly tired of the pro-foxhunting lobby's attempts to paint themselves as the guardians of the rural way of life and the farmer's best friend (Philip Donnelly, "Fair play for fox-hunting", February 1st).
I come from a part of rural Ireland where we have always, thankfully, been spared the presence of a foxhunt and I'm glad to report that the area has not been over-run by foxes. Nor is predation of farm animals by foxes a problem of any significance; by far the majority of farm animal mortality relates to issues of sub-standard husbandry, as is the case throughout Ireland, and this fact is well-documented by the Department of Agriculture.
Painting those opposed to foxhunting and other blood sports as a small band of sinister extremists is the latest ploy by an increasingly desperate hunting lobby to shift attention away from the growing opposition among farmers to fox-hunting. And who could blame farmers for not wanting dozens of horses and dogs traipsing, uninvited, across their land, breaking down fences, worrying their animals, spreading disease and in some cases killing their family pets?
Indeed, it was from just such farmers that the hunting lobby ran scared recently when they refused to go on the Late Late Show and discuss these issues with representatives of the group Farmers Against Foxhunting and Trespass.
I'm getting tired, too, of hearing that since lots of other animals are treated badly in the name of sport, entertainment and fashion, fox-hunting should be allowed to continue unchallenged. How utterly threadbare philosophically is the argument put forward by Mr Donnelly and his fellow hunting enthusiasts that we shouldn't ban blood sports because we might then have to examine the many other cruelties we visit on animals?
If this logic had informed the debate on the criminalisation of badger-baiting, dog-fighting and cock-fighting, these equally vile blood sports would still be perfectly legal. It doesn't require a great deal of intelligence to figure out that the reason the latter are already illegal, while fox-hunting isn't, has everything to do with the socio-economic background and political influence of those involved and nothing to do with logic and compassion.
The recent licensing decision by Minister John Gormley in relation to the Ward Union Stag Hunt heralds a major shift on the issue of blood sports on the part of the political establishment in this State. With the vast majority of Irish people consistently expressing their opposition to blood sports, it is long overdue. - Yours, etc,
NUALA DONLON,
Lanesborough,
Co Longford.