Countryside Alliance Ireland (CAI) has been lobbying MLAs to oppose an upcoming vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly on whether hunting with dogs should be banned in the region.
CAI stated that there was “no justification” for such a ban, with the campaign group warning that it “will devastate the countryside”.
The vote to ban this activity was brought forward by Alliance Party’s John Blair last month and MLAs will decide on the proposal in the Northern Ireland Assembly next Tuesday (May 26).
Blair has been criticised by the CAI for “pursuing a culture war against rural people” with this ban.
The campaign group also raised concerns that the proposed legislation could lead to “criminalising anyone involved in any countryside activity if their dog chases a wild mammal”.
CAI
The director of the CAI, Gary McCartney called on rural people across Northern Ireland to write to their MLAs, urging them to vote against Blair’s bill.
McCartney said: “John Blair’s bill has wide-ranging consequences and will dangerously impact all aspects of country life: from the mere act of walking a dog, to fieldsports and vital wildlife management.
“He is opting for a culture war against rural people with a full-scale attack on not only hunting, but every aspect of rural life.
“At a time when people are suffering from the cost of living crisis and spiralling energy bills, it defies all logic that any politician should deem this a priority for Northern Ireland.”
CAI also argued that a ban would “do nothing for animal welfare but would have a detrimental effect on farming and biodiversity”.
The campaign group said that the bill would make predator control “almost impossible” for farmers, posing a “grave risk” to livestock and ground nesting birds.
Fox hunting
The upcoming vote marks the second time that Blair has brought forward a ban on hunting with dogs, with his first bill being defeated by 45 votes to 28 back in 2021.
CAI highlighted the amount of opposition that Blair’s first bill received from other groups, particularly the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), but also Sinn Féin.
The campaign group claimed that Sinn Féin whipped its MLAs to vote against the legislation in 2021, with the party saying it supported regulation over a complete ban.
However, Sinn Féin members at the party’s annual Ard Fheis last month voted to support a ban on fox hunting “for the sole purpose of leisure”.
With the Northern Ireland assembly set to vote on this ban next week, CAI urged Sinn Féin MLAs to “think very carefully about the damage this appalling bill could have on rural people across the country.”
“We need Stormont focused on fixing issues that actually matter to the people of Northern Ireland, not wasting time debating unnecessary and dangerous legislation that harms rural people,” McCartney commented.