Fresh bid to end hunting with dogs in Northern Ireland is ‘balanced’, MLA says

Alliance MLA John Blair has proposed an Private Member’s Bill to ban hunting wild mammals with dogs in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) - (PA Archive)

A fresh bid to outlaw hunting in Northern Ireland is both “balanced” and will bring the region “into line with the rest of the UK”, Stormont has heard.

Alliance MLA John Blair previously proposed a Private Member’s Bill to ban hunting wild mammals with dogs, but in 2021 the Northern Ireland Assembly voted by 45 votes to 38 to reject it.