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A ban on quad bike and jet-ski activities in environmentally
sensitive locations, originally contained in the proposed
legislation to outlaw stag hunting, has been removed from
the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill.
When Cabinet approved the heads of the contentious Bill in
November of last year, it contained new powers for Environment
Minister John Gormley to prohibit the use of off-road 4x4
vehicles and scramblers in certain areas. However, when the
Bill was published
recently, this element had been removed.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley said it would be contained in
a Wildlife (Amendment) (No 2) Bill, which will not be published
before late 2010, according to the Government’s legislative
agenda released last week. “Complex legal issues are being
finalised at the moment regarding some aspects of the legislation,”
the spokesman said.
In November, Mr Gormley said the use of vehicles such as
jet-skis and quad bikes for recreational purposes was detrimental
to protected areas of conservation across the country. Controversies
involving such vehicles have arisen in various locations -
such as Lough Derravarragh in Co Westmeath, Mount Leinster
in Carlow/Wexford and the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the midlands.
Mr Gormley confirmed exemptions would be made for work vehicles,
giving the examples of farmers using quad bikes on their farms.
He also said the legislation needed to be amended because
Ireland was “under pressure” from the European Commission
on foot of judgments of the European Court of Justice in relation
to such matters.
The Wildlife (Amendment) (No 2) Bill will also give the Minister
powers to prohibit and regulate the importation, transport
and sale of what are described as “invasive” species. These
could include the grey squirrel, the wild rhododendron, the
zebra mussel and African pond weed. The Minister believes
the existing provisions of the Wildlife Acts to address the
problems created by these species are inadequate.
Mr Gormley has said he hopes the proposed legislation to
ban stag hunting will be enacted before the Dáil breaks for
the summer. His spokesman described the Wildlife (Amendment)
Bill, which will outlaw deer-hunting with packs of dogs, as
a relatively straightforward but very important piece of legislation.
It will affect the only licensed hunt in the country - the
Ward Union Hunt in Co Meath. The spokesman insisted the legislation
would not impact on other forms of hunting.
Source - The Irish Times
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