Madam, – Noel Whelan (Opinion, July 3rd) says that animal welfare issues are a minority concern, even in urban middle class Ireland.
In saying this he is not doing justice to the many people and organisation for whom animal welfare is a very important issue. These animal lovers tend to be shouted down by a very vocal group of people who, by riding horses to hunt, fancy themselves as the new aristocracy. They apparently do not take into account the cruelty involved in pursuing stags until they die from fear and exhaustion.
One must congratulate John Gormley for his tenacity on this issue and many will no doubt reward him and his Green Party colleagues for their victory in banning stag hunting. However, he still has much to do. Hare coursing and fox hunting are equally horrific activities and both are banned now in most civilised countries in the Western hemisphere other than Ireland. – Yours, etc,