Time to end this wanton cruelty to animals for good – public encouraged to support ban on hunting with dogs

Members and supporters of The League Against Cruel Sports (the League) and the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) have taken to the streets of Belfast to gather support to bring an end to the wanton cruelty of hunting with animals.

Since the launch of their petition in March 2024, more than 9,000 people have signed it to show support to ban hunting with dogs.

Already illegal in England, Wales and Scotland, Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where it’s still legal to hunt mammals for sport, with a Private Members Bill proposed at the NI Assembly to bring about a ban.

Robbie Marsland from the League said:

“It is 20 years since the Hunting Act was introduced to ban fox hunting in England and Wales, with Scotland recently taking steps to strengthen and improve their legislation.  Northern Ireland has an opportunity to end this suffering.

“Chasing and killing mammals with dogs has no place in today’s society and it’s time for change. We have taken to the streets of Belfast today to ask people to sign the petition and show support that the cruel and wanton killing of wild animals must end.  

“We’ve had really encouraging conversations with members of the public today, with the clear majority wanting to see a ban on hunting with animals.”

USPCA Chief Executive Heather Weir said:

“Each year across Northern Ireland there is an annual display of cruelty, with participants chasing foxes through fields and beyond.  The impact this has upon these helpless animals, who are chased, must be something which is confined to the history books.

“Since the launch of our Together Campaign, we have taken our message to ban hunting with dogs to politicians supported by the public.  Our online petition has received more than 9,000 signatures and is growing daily. 

Attitudes to this cruel practice are changing across this island. Our polling shows 70% of the public support for a ban in Northern Ireland. Momentum is gathering in the Republic of Ireland with polling indicating 72% of people supporting a ban, with the recently elected President of Ireland, Catherine Connelly being a vocal advocate.

“We have been greatly encouraged by the support we are receiving on the streets of Belfast and look forward to continuing to engage with our MLAs on the proposed Private Members Bill in the NI Assembly.”

The Together Campaign is asking people to take some simple steps for change

1.  Sign the petition - https://takeaction.league.org.... people you have signed the petition, especially politicians
2. Ask people to sign the petition - ask family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, and school mates “have you signed yet?”
3. Follow the Together campaign for change

Notes to editor

• Polling was conducted by LucidTalk Limited on 9^th to 11^th February 2024 with 1050 respondents.
• Polling was conducted by Ireland Thinks, published in December 2025, available on TheJournal.ie here.
• Hunting with animals was banned in England and Wales through the Hunting Act 2004
• Traditional fox hunting and hare coursing was banned in Scotland through the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.  This Act was repealed in 2023 and replaced with the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) 2023.  Under this Act:
  • It will still be an offence to hunt a wild mammal using a dog except in limited circumstances. For example, hunting with dogs may be allowed to prevent the spread of disease or to protect other animals if the activity meets the requirements in the Bill about how it is done.
  • However, it will always be illegal to chase and kill a wild mammal using a dog. 
  • Where hunting is allowed, the Act introduces new limits on the number of dogs that can be used.
  • In some circumstances, people may be able to get a licence to use more dogs.
  • The Act also bans trail hunting except in limited circumstances. Trail hunting is when a dog is used to find and follow an animal-based scent.