THE LABOUR Party will not overturn the ban on stag hunting if elected to government.
Asked if he would support Fine Gael’s declared intention to repeal the ban, leader Eamon Gilmore said the party had no intention of reversing the stag hunting Bill.
Last week, his party voted, along with Fine Gael, to oppose the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010, which outlaws the hunting of carted red deer.
Pro-hunting activists had taken comfort from Fine Gael’s announcement that the party would reverse the ban in a future government. But Mr Gilmore’s statement would appear to rule out any future reprieve for the State’s only such hunt, the Co Meath-based Ward Union.
The hunt will now have to decide when and how to dispose of its pack of hounds and private herd of red deer.
Speaking during a visit to Kilkenny, Mr Gilmore said Labour had not yet decided how it would vote on the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill, which is due before the Dáil on Thursday.