I was taken aback to hear public health specialist, Professor Patrick Wall of UCD, defend the practice of carted stag hunting in the course of a recent RTÉ interview. While I applaud the professor's helpful advice on cutting down our consumption of processed foods and watching the calories, I cannot share his view of this blood sport as being a delightful and socially acceptable activity. I suggest that stag hunting should carry a prominent health warning, similar to the ones that appear on cigarette boxes. This could be printed on both sides of the crate from which the stag is released to be hounded for fun.

Because this particular habit most definitely puts at risk the health and welfare of the stags involved. Among the numerous unhealthy side-effects that could be indicated in the health warning are: the risk of ruptured aortic aneurisms (the cause of some deer deaths during hunting); drowning, accidental choking, extreme physical distress, severe body tremors, excessive salivation and panting, broken back (sustained by deer while attempting to clear high obstacles), and agonising wounds inflicted by barbed wire and brambles along the hunting route.

Another risk, that of colliding with road vehicles, has of course potential health implications for humans too. If stags could understand human speech and had any say in the matter of being hunted, I would personally advise them to give up this reckless habit. As they don't, I'm prepared to accept the next best option and support the proposed ban on carted stag hunting agreed in the programme for government.

John Fitzgerald

Lower Coyne Street,

Callan, Co Kilkenny