NON RESIDENT hunters can obtain firearms certificates and shunting licences more easily than nationals, which results in the commercial over exploitation of migratory birds and is a major threat to these species, the High Court was told yesterday.
The court heard commercial exploitation in the Irish context meant over exploitation of woodcock snipe, migratory duck, golden plover and red grouse.
Mr Desmond Crofton, on behalf of all members of the National Association of Regional "Game Councils, was granted leave to challenge the Ministers for Justice and for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht on the procedures whereby non residents area granted firearms certificates and hunting licences.
Ms Mary Finlay SC, for Mr Crofton, said the Minister for Justice granted firearms certificates and the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht had responsibility for granting hunting licences. Hunters had to have both.
Mr Crofton - administrator/rector of the association, said in an affidavit that the legislation provided that the Minister for Justice at her discretion may grant a firearms certificate to a non resident. The Minister appeared to have delegated this responsibility to the Wildlife Service of the OPW. The entire procedure appeared to be administered by the Wildlife Service and there did not appear to be any statutory authority for this.
The methods by which non residents were assessed for firearms, certificates were different from those for residents. No proper inquiries or security checks appeared to be carried out.
With regard to granting hunting licences to foreign shooters, the association was concerned that the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht did not satisfy himself as to conditions such as the conservation requirements of the species of protected wild birds or exempted wild mammals.
Association members and the vast majority of Irish game hunters hunted on only one or two days per week. Tourist shoot promoters were organising large shoots on a daily basis. It was clear that non resident hunters shot large bags of migratory birds every day. For example, one group of French hunters in Sligo recently stated it had shot 90 woodcock in one weekend.
Non resident hunters were also shooting protected species. In one case, an employee at Dublin Airport saw a dead swan in an Italian tourist's bag as he was about to return home.