Debate contribution: Hunting with Dogs Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mrs Michelle Guy on 26 May 2026.

MLA: Mrs Michelle Guy
Party at the time: Alliance Party
Date: 26 May 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Hunting with Dogs Bill: Second Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5583120

Text

I am pleased to support the legislation, and, from the outset, I commend my colleague John Blair for his commitment and determination in introducing the Bill. It is a testament to John's sincerity and persistence that, after the disappointment of the previous mandate, he has persevered with the issue. In my contribution today, I particularly want to give a voice to local campaigners in my constituency and across Northern Ireland: farmers, landowners and rural residents who are clear and determined in their support of the legislation. Those are people whom I relate to. I was asked by one whether I was a country person myself, and the answer is yes. I grew up in the country and live today in a rural part of Lagan Valley. Growing up, our family farm had encounters with local hunts trespassing on our land, so I understand authentically these perspectives. I feel that it is a privilege to give voice to those campaigners today. At this point, I acknowledge the advocacy of the formidable Christine Bailey and her husband, William, who represent the Concerned Residents Ardtanagh Group, along with residents from Shanrod and Fedney. I thank everyone involved with these campaigns who took the time to write to me, to speak to me and to share deeply personal experiences in support of the Bill. I want to make something absolutely clear: the people whom I spoke with were quick to voice that they oppose hunting with dogs because they believe that it is objectively cruel. When something is cruel, you do not simply think it but you feel it. The very idea of an animal being pursued until exhausted, cornered, terrified and, ultimately, torn apart by dogs is something that many people instinctively recoil from. It cannot be justified as entertainment; it cannot be softened by euphemisms; and, in 2026, it should not continue in Northern Ireland. Importantly, those whom I spoke with wanted me to challenge any narrative that this debate is somehow urban versus rural or an attack on countryside life. These are authentic rural voices of farmers, landowners and families who live and work in the countryside every day. One farmer said to me, just last night: "This is the first time in a long time someone has listened to us". They are clear that organisations such as the Countryside Alliance do not speak for all rural people. The concerns that they raised with me go beyond animal welfare alone. They spoke of trespass on private land. One farmer described an incident when five reseeded fields were trampled over by a hunt that had no permission to be on the land. Others told of damage to hedgerows, land and fences, with gates left open, risking livestock escaping. All were clear: they do not want or welcome huntsmen, horses or hounds on their land. Impact on livestock is a key concern for farmers. Impacts range from disturbing sheep during lambing season to one farmer telling me about 15 terrified heifers being cut to pieces having run through barbed wire to escape hounds. The same farmer told of another cow sustaining a broken leg. One of the most upsetting scenarios relayed to me was that of a family pet being mauled to death. The incident happened three years ago but the lady who recalled it was clearly reliving what was a deeply traumatic event for her and her family. She said that a group of men on foot with about 20 dogs descended on the area. The family heard a commotion in the yard only to be met by the sight of two large hounds that had picked up the scent of the family cat, a rescue animal with limited mobility, that was killed. It was, in the words of the pet owner, just blood lust. They tried to have charges brought but the law, ultimately, failed them. Another aspect of that incident, and one raised by others, is intimidation. Rural residents caught up in confrontations with groups out hunting report threats and verbal abuse, including incidents when women and children were subjected to threats and aggression connected to hunting activity. That is not countryside management or respecting rural communities. It is a small number of people imposing their pastime on animals, and on landowners and local residents who did not ask for or consent to it. That is why the Bill matters. Let me be clear about what the Bill does and does not do. The Bill contains exemptions for genuine pest control, livestock protection, disease prevention, biodiversity management and the relief of animal suffering. Those are practical and necessary provisions. What the Bill rightly targets is organised hunting with dogs, trail hunting using animal-based scents, participation in organised hunts, and terrier work. Those practices belong to another age, and the law should not maintain loopholes that permit cruelty. The Bill removes the grey areas and makes clear that cruelty dressed up as tradition is still cruelty. I urge Members to support the Bill today, and through every legislative stage, and to resist attempts to weaken it through amendments. I want MLAs to stand with rural residents, farmers and landowners, who no longer want those practices imposed on their land or their communities. Northern Ireland now has an opportunity to say clearly that that practice belongs in the past. I hope that we take it.
Go ahead before I finish.
I am happy to respond to that. What we are doing at Second Stage is considering the principles of the Bill. The Member raised a number of concerns about the Bill. Those will, rightly, be worked out at Committee Stage and dealt with at Consideration Stage. I think that everybody who wants to see a good piece of legislation will be more than open to doing that.

965 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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