Hunting supporters say ban leaves dog owners at risk of prosecution

Pro hunting supporters have warned that a new Stormont bill to ban the blood sport will leave thousands of dog owners across Northern Ireland at risk of prosecution.

It comes as MLAs will on Tuesday vote on the legislation which aims to ban hunting wild animals with dogs in Northern Ireland.

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

The private members bill is being brought by the Alliance Party's John Blair but has been dismissed as "misguided and divisive" by the campaign group Countryside Alliance Ireland.

It held a protest outside Stormont on Tuesday morning and its spokesperson Gary McCartney warned the bill is so "wide-ranging that it will impact on every dog owner in Northern Ireland".

"If an elderly person was walking in the park and their dog scampered off and chased a wild mammal - whether that be a shrew or a deer - that could be classed as the act of hunting and the dog owner could be open to prosecution," he said.

"With 400,000 households having a dog, you can see how many people could be affected by this legislation."

But John Blair insisted his bill would not impact on all dog owners.

He said similar legislation has been in force for more than 20 years in Scotland and there hasn't been "one prosecution or attempted prosecution against a dog owner".

He said his bill will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK.

Emma Hodge from the East Antrim hounds said she is very concerned at the proposed legislation and the impact it will have on her pack and her livelihood.

"What is going to happen to our hounds if they ban hunting? Hounds are not an animal which can be rehomed, they are a pack animal, and they need to be in a pack," she said.

She also defended fox hunting which she said was the "most natural form of pest control".

"Everybody thinks we are bloodthirsty and we are going out and killing hundreds of foxes, that is not the case," she added.

"Fox hunting has been going on for generations and has been used for pest control for all these years."

Sean McAloon, huntsman with the Fermanagh Harriers, said he has been hunting from the age of two and is opposed to any ban.

"There are a lot of more important issues MLAs should be sorting out, and hunting should not be a priority for them," he said.

He also defended fox hunting which he said was the most "humane form pest control".

"There are a lot of farmers out there losing lambs to foxes and they need our services to control the fox population," he said

"This is just the latest attack on the farming community, and we have taken a stand, and it now feels we are fighting a class war."

This is the second time MLAs have voted on a hunting bill brought by John Blair. The previous one in 2021 was defeated by seven votes.

But it is expected the bill will secure the support this time to move to the next stage in the legislative process.

It is understood it will have the support of Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party. Some Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) members are also expected to back the bill.