Northern Irish politicians vote against hunting ban

Hunting will not be banned in Northern Ireland, members of the assembly government have agreed.

Northern Ireland’s only Green Party member of the legislative assembly (MLA) Brian Wilson introduced a private members bill on 16 November, calling for an end to hunting with dogs in the province.

But MLAs voted against it at the second reading on 16 December and hunting can continue in Northern Ireland as it does in the Republic.

Countryside Alliance chief executive Alice Barnard said: “The Assembly has sent a strong and clear message to Westminster — the Hunting Act is a bad law and they do not want to repeat the mistake.”

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