Bid to ban fox hunting begins again at Stormont

A bill which aims to ban hunting wild animals with dogs in Northern Ireland has been reintroduced five years after it was first rejected by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The private member's bill is being brought by the Alliance Party's John Blair, but campaign group Countryside Alliance Ireland has described it as "misguided and divisive".

In 2021 it was defeated by 45 votes to 38. Sinn Féin whipped its assembly members (MLAs) to vote against the legislation, saying it supported regulation over a complete ban.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where the practice is still permitted.

At the time of the previous vote, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) held the agriculture and environment brief in the Northern Ireland Executive and its then-minister Edwin Poots said he would not back the bill either.

Alliance now holds the portfolio with Andrew Muir in post.

On Friday, Sinn Féin members at the party's annual ard fheis (conference) voted by a tight margin to support a ban on fox hunting.

There are concerns that this policy could affect the party's rural vote.

Party president Mary Lou McDonald has previously indicated she would support a ban, and said the vote on fox hunting demonstrated how members are the ones who set policy.

It has not yet stated how it will approach the fresh attempt to ban the practice in Northern Ireland.

The legislation was only formally introduced on Monday and no debate was held.

A second reading will take place at some stage to be determined, which will decide if the bill can move forward in the legislative process or be rejected again.

The Countryside Alliance Ireland has criticised Blair for reintroducing the hunting bill.

The alliance describes itself as a "political campaigning force" that "promotes and protects the rural way of life" to ensure law and policy supports "the demands of those whose lives it affects".

Its director Gary McCartney said people living and working in the countryside were facing "damaging attacks on their livelihoods and local economies".

He added it was "staggering Mr Blair deems this a priority" during a cost-of-living crisis and at a time when the health service "is on its knees".

McCartney urged politicians to focus on "issues that truly matter" rather than "looking for [a] quick PR win".

In 2024, the League Against Cruel Sports and the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) jointly launched a petition on hunting animals for sport to be made illegal.

England and Wales introduced legislation banning hunting with animals 20 years ago.

Legislation in Scotland dating back to 2002 was replaced with a fresh act in 2023, which permitted some hunting with dogs in limited circumstances, for example the prevention of disease spreading.

But it remains illegal to chase and kill a wild mammal using a dog in Scotland.