Bill to Ban Hunting Wild Animals with Dogs Reintroduced in Northern Ireland

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.