Another bid to ban hunting with dogs in Northern Ireland criticised

Another bid to ban hunting in Northern Ireland has been relaunched after failing to pass three years ago, prompting criticism from Countryside Alliance Ireland (CAI).

Alliance MLA John Blair is once again behind a Private Member's Bill, which has been backed by the League Against Cruel Sports and the USPCA. The Bill, if passed, will also ban trail hunting and effectively outlaw flushing with dogs for pest control.

To prop up his Bill, Mr Blair has created a publicly available ‘consultation’, where members of the public can ‘put on record their views’. The consultation, however, uses overtly bias language throughout, with responses not being subject to independent scrutiny.  

In 2021 the Northern Ireland Assembly voted by 45 votes to 38 to reject a proposed Bill to ban hunting wild animals with dogs in Northern Ireland, following a major opposition campaign by CAI and the rural community.

Speaking in response to Mr Blair’s latest bid, CAI criticised Mr Blair's Bill as "completely out of touch".

Gary McCartney, its director, told the media in a statement:

"John Blair's obsession with hunting is completely out of touch with the priorities of the people of Northern Ireland.

"There are a million more important issues affecting people's lives and his decision to waste more of Stormont's time on this issue says a lot about both him and his party.

"More than that, his consultation is a farce which completely misrepresents hunting in Northern Ireland and legislation in other parts of the UK.

"If he wants a fight over the ability of farmers to protect their livestock and conservationists to protect threatened species he will get one and he will lose again."

CAI will follow developments in relation to this proposed Bill closely and our team will be liaising with MLAs and all necessary stakeholders over the coming weeks. Updates will be sent to members and supporters as and when they occur.