Hunting with Dog ban, Northern Ireland.

Cass

Seems we're not the only ones subject to the virtue signalling whims of our elected representatives.

MLA in NI has put forward a private members bill to seek the banning of hunting with dogs. Haven't read the bill, not even sure where to find it, but those opposed think its so poorly worded that it'll criminalise any out for with a Dog if the dog decides to chase rabbit, Squirrel, etc.

Mellor

Would be very interested in the definition of Hunting with a dog. there's a whole range of hunting associated activities.

fritzelly

Reading that act it seems quite clear that this only applies to people taking their dogs out with the sole intent to hunt with some vermin exemptions etc

Where in the act could it be construed as someone walking a dog and it chases after something?

Cass

The Bill, because its not an Act yet, prohibits any form of hunting with Dogs including trail hunting (which is silly), with the only exception being to hunt for meat for human/animal consumption, control of animals to protect livestock, and or protecting the envirnoment. Only two Dogs may be used.

Section 6 says that anyone out, whether in contorl of the Dogs or not, is guilty of this offence should the Dogs hunt.

Hunt is to search for and/or kill quarry. So the act of a Dog chasing soemthing, even its trail, seems to be the bone of contention here coupled with section 6 which means you dont have to be actively involved in controling the Dogs to be guilty of an offense.

Eddie B

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118154447#Comment_118154447

HUNTING. The act of pursuing and taking wild animals; the chase.

So if your dog is chasing a wild animal, it is deemed to be hunting. You as the owner of the dog, is deemed to be allowing your dog to hunt, or being part of the hunt.

Feisar

They should apply this waffle to cats as well, songbirds don't seem to matter though.

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118155769#Comment_118155769

Only applies to mammals. So birds, such as pheasant, are not included.

Also excludes;

• rats and mice
• hunting for the protection of crops or livestock - so foxes excluded.
• hunting for meat - deer hunting excluded.

Really not sure what’s left, other than a dog chasing a squirrel.

Cass

They're not exempt, instead the "defence" of I was doing "X" activity for "Y" reason(s) is permissible, but does not guarantee "innocence" (not sure that is the right word, but you get the idea).

So its down to intent. IF hunting occurs without intent it can be an offence. It it happens with intent then it can be for only one fo three reasons and only with two or fewer Dogs.

I still don't understand the reason for banning trail hunting. Is that not what they done here. Used an artificial trail for the dogs to mimic the hunt without any animals being involved?

Trail hunting 2.—(1) It is an offence to organise or participate in a trail hunt. (2) In subsection (1) “trail hunt” means any process in which one or more dogs are induced or permitted to follow the scent of a wild mammal (whether the trail of scent has been laid naturally or by human intervention).

Birdnuts

What utter woke nonsense - scary to think we have similar types in the government(Ryan appointing his cronies to the climate council last week!!) here while actual issues like the need for Marine Protected Areas are ignored or undermined!!🤬

JP22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118158294#Comment_118158294

Too true.

As we all know here, laws and regulations are there to protect the environment incl flora & fauna in general and we have no issues there as long as said law/regs are fair to all concerned.

The problem as always is, laws and regs are largely put together by those who don’t participate in rural activities (politicians/political advisors/administrators etc….), they don’t have the history, the knowledge, the experience or basic cop-on so we almost always end up with bad or inappropriate legislation, basically gobbledygook.

Few of them (if any) would know or care less, but domesticated cats kill more song birds that most anything else.

Rescueme0007

Birdnuts is absolutely correct, virtue signaling stupidity of the nth degree, as it's worded it would criminalise people whose dog put up a rat and chased it down. Such errant nonsense.

Eddie B

The bill didn't pass thankfully. This crowd won't go away though, and won't stop trying, so we all need to be on our toes.