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Plans to introduce a new bill aiming to ban hunting with hounds in Northern Ireland is to be welcomed – read John Fitzgerald's letter in the Impartial Reporter and please scroll down for action alert...
Hunting with hounds Bill is to be welcomed
Letter, Impartial Reporter, 28th March 2024
Dear Sir,
Animal lovers north and south will be delighted to hear that the Alliance Party MLA John Blair is to reintroduce his Bill to ban hunting with hounds in Northern Ireland, which was narrowly defeated two years ago. If successful, the Bill would end the deliberate chasing to exhaustion and death of foxes and hares.
Apart from the inherent cruelty of these activities, there’s another factor that lends an even greater urgency to the need for this Bill. When apprehended, badger baiters routinely claim that they were just digging out foxes that had gone to ground in badger setts.
Badger baiting gangs on this side of the border also use fox hunting as a cover for their “sport”, which involves pitting cross-bred dogs against a badger in a prolonged fight to the death. The suffering endured by dog and badger alike is beyond imagining. Huge sums are gambled on the fights.
The legality of fox hunting is a major obstacle to halting this nightmarish practice, here in the Republic as well as in Northern Ireland. We need a similar measure to the one proposed by Mr. Blair to end the plight of foxes, badgers and hares nationwide.
We can’t claim to be committed to saving what’s left of our biodiversity if we allow these blots on the countryside.
John Fitzgerald
Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports
ACTION ALERT
Sinn Fein MLAs shamefully voted against John Blair MLA's previous bill to ban hunting with hounds. Their stance ensured that this cruel bloodsport has continued in Northern Ireland with all its associated suffering and death. Contact Sinn Fein MLAs by email and/or phone and urge them to pledge support for John Blair MLA's upcoming new bill to ban hunting with hounds.
Email addresses for Sinn Fein MLAs:
caoimhe.archibald@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; danny.baker@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; cathal.boylan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; nicola.brogan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; padraig.delargy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; linda.dillon@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; jemma.dolan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; sinead.ennis@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; ciara.ferguson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; orlaithi.flynn@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; colm.gildernew@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; deirdre.hargey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; declan.kearney@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; gerry.kelly@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; liz.kimmins@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; cathy.mason@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; declan.mcaleer@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; philip.mcguigan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; maoliosa.mchugh@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; aine.murphy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; conor.murphy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; caral.nichuilin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; john.odowd@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; michelle.oneill@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; aisling.reilly@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; pat.sheehan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk; emma.sheerin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Individual email addresses and phone numbers
Caoimhe Archibald MLA
caoimhe.archibald@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02877 742488
Danny Baker MLA
danny.baker@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 9061 1176
Cathal Boylan MLA
cathal.boylan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02837 511797
Nicola Brogan MLA
nicola.brogan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 8225 3040
Pádraig Delargy MLA
padraig.delargy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Linda Dillon MLA
linda.dillon@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 8774 8689
Jemma Dolan MLA
jemma.dolan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 6632 8214
Sinéad Ennis MLA
sinead.ennis@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02841 754448
Ciara Ferguson MLA
ciara.ferguson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Órlaithí Flynn MLA
orlaithi.flynn@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Colm Gildernew MLA
colm.gildernew@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02887 722776
Deirdre Hargey MLA
deirdre.hargey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02890 243194
Declan Kearney MLA
declan.kearney@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 9454 8166
Gerry Kelly MLA
gerry.kelly@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02895 219295
Liz Kimmins MLA
liz.kimmins@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02830 264317
Cathy Mason MLA
cathy.mason@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Declan McAleer MLA
declan.mcaleer@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 807 51432
Philip McGuigan MLA
philip.mcguigan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 2765 7198
Maolíosa McHugh MLA
maoliosa.mchugh@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Áine Murphy MLA
aine.murphy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02867 721642
Conor Murphy MLA
conor.murphy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 0283026 1693
Carál Ní Chuilín MLA
caral.nichuilin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
John O'Dowd MLA
john.odowd@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 02838 349675
Michelle O'Neill MLA
michelle.oneill@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 86277680
Aisling Reilly MLA
aisling.reilly@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Pat Sheehan MLA
pat.sheehan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 9061 3894
Emma Sheerin MLA
emma.sheerin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk
Phone: 028 7964 4550
Find contact details for other MLAs at
https://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/search.aspx
A RED C opinion poll, commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, shows that a 77% majority agree that the Irish Government should ban fox hunting. The poll found that just 12 per cent disagree with a ban on fox hunting. Tell politicians to respect the wishes of the majority and ban fox hunting.
Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party to tell them that you want fox hunting, hare hunting and all bloodsports banned.
Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: +353 (0)1 618 3805 or +353 (0)1 889 2442
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris
Eamon Ryan
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader, The Labour Party
Tel: (01) 6183136
Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivanabacik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bacikivana/
SEE ALSO
Bloodsports vote – Shame on Ard Comhairle of Sinn Féin
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2023/11/11/bloodsports-vote-shame-on-ard-comhairle-of-sinn-fein/
The Sinn Fein Assembly election candidates who voted AGAINST hunting ban
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2022/03/31/the-sinn-fein-assembly-candidates-who-voted-against-hunting-ban/
Sinn Fein criticised for voting against foxhunt ban
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2022/03/09/sinn-fein-criticised-for-voting-against-foxhunt-ban/
Horror and dismay at Sinn Fein’s vote against NI bill to ban foxhunting
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2022/01/09/horror-and-dismay-at-sinn-feins-vote-against-ni-bill-to-ban-foxhunting/
Sinn Fein vote ensures foxhunt cruelty to continue in Northern Ireland
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/12/07/sinn-fein-vote-ensures-foxhunt-cruelty-to-continue-in-northern-ireland/
Sinn Fein urged to back a ban on hunting with dogs in Northern Ireland
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/sinn-fein-urged-to-back-a-ban-on-hunting-with-dogs-in-northern-ireland/
“Sinn Féin is opposed to foxhunting” and will “vote in favour of a ban”
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/02/04/sinn-fein-is-opposed-to-foxhunting-and-will-vote-in-favour-of-a-ban/