Stormont MLAs have pledged to introduce legislation to ban the hunting of wild animals as well as regulating the puppy trade. The Assembly's All Party Group on Animal Welfare was officially reconstituted on Thursday.
The group, made up of MLAs from all the major parties, elected Alliance MLA John Blair as chairman and Alliance MLA Patrick Brown as vice chairman. They agreed urgent priorities including the introduction of a Bill to ban hunting wild mammals with dogs, the need for enhanced regulation of the puppy trade, the updating of animal business licensing regulations, and advancement on the establishment of a banned offenders register.
Mr Blair welcomed support from the parties represented for a range of animal welfare issues. "I look forward to working with colleagues over the coming months to progress legislation and ensure these issues around animal welfare protections remain prioritised on the agenda," he said.
