The 2019/2020 Irish hare coursing season in under threat following the detection of a variant of Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) in a hare in Wexford last week.
The Irish Ministry of Agriculture immediately put a ban on the ICC for the catching and tagging of hares for the new season which is due to commence on the last weekend in September.
Irish Coursing Club CEO DJ Histon said: “We are due to meet with Ministry of Agriculture officials tomorrow and will learn more then. We don’t know what they will decide and much may depend on any further outbreaks.”
So at what point will the new season be in jeopardy?
Histon replied: “There was an occasion in the past when the licence wasn’t issued until midway through September but every club still ended up with an adequate number of hares. We are not yet at that stage.”
