Foxes are native to Ireland and they play an important role in the ecosystem. They deserve protection, not persecution.

Fox hunting is a cruel blood sport. Foxes are chased to exhaustion by hunters and packs of dogs and when caught, they are attacked and pulled apart. There should be no place in modern Ireland for this barbarity.

The vast majority want fox hunting fully outlawed.

Help get fox hunting banned in Ireland. Contact Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and demand a ban.

Watch our campaign video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Rf3Cv58x0

ACTION ALERT

Email Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs and urge them to back a ban on cruel fox hunting.

Fianna Fail TDs

john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie;peterchap.cleere@oireachtas.ie;jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie;brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie;niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie;cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie;timmy.dooley@oireachtas.ie;james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie;padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie;michael.moynihan@oireachtas.ie;aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie;seamus.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie;micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie;christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie;patthecope.gallagher@oireachtas.ie;Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie;tom.brabazon@oireachtas.ie;jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie;darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie;shane.moynihan@oireachtas.ie;paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie;shay.brennan@oireachtas.ie;catherine.ardagh@oireachtas.ie;john.lahart@oireachtas.ie;jack.chambers@oireachtas.ie;Minister@per.gov.ie;cormac@cormacdevlin.ie;albert.dolan@oireachtas.ie;john.connolly@oireachtas.ie;michael.cahill@oireachtas.ie;norma.foley@oireachtas.ie;minister@dcde.gov.ie;naoise.ocearuil@oireachtas.ie;james.lawless@oireachtas.ie;sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie;sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie;willie.odea@oireachtas.ie;niall.collins@oireachtas.ie;Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie;erin.mcgreehan@oireachtas.ie;dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; ministerdrcd@drcd.gov.ie;thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie;aisling.dempsey@oireachtas.ie;tony.mccormack@oireachtas.ie;martin.daly@oireachtas.ie;eamon.scanlon@oireachtas.ie;ryan.omeara@oireachtas.ie;mary.butler@oireachtas.ie;james.browne@oireachtas.ie; minister@housing.gov.ie;malcolm.byrne@oireachtas.ie

Fine Gael TDs

catherine.callaghan@oireachtas.ie;david.maxwell@oireachtas.ie;joe.cooney@oireachtas.ie;colm.burke@oireachtas.ie;johnpaul.oshea@oireachtas.ie;jerry.buttimer@oireachtas.ie;naoise.omuiri@oireachtas.ie;james.geoghegan@oireachtas.ie;Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie;grace.boland@oireachtas.ie;emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie;maeve.oconnell@oireachtas.ie;neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie;colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie;emer.currie@oireachtas.ie;barry.ward@oireachtas.ie;jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie;peter.roche@oireachtas.ie;hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie;joe.neville@oireachtas.ie;Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie;william.aird@oireachtas.ie;kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie;Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie;peter.burke@oireachtas.ie;micheal.carrigy@oireachtas.ie;paula.butterly@oireachtas.ie;alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie;keira.keogh@oireachtas.ie;helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie;john.clendennen@oireachtas.ie;frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie;michael.murphy@oireachtas.ie;john.cummins@oireachtas.ie;Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie;edward.timmins@oireachtas.ie;brian.brennan@oireachtas.ie;noel.mccarthy@oireachtas.ie

Sample Letter

(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter)

Dear Deputy,

I urge you and your party to support a ban on cruel fox hunting.

The vast majority - in both rural and urban areas - are in favour of a ban. The latest opinion poll - the NSPCA-commissioned Bounce Insights National Survey 2026 - shows that 82% support a ban on fox hunting. Previous RED C and Ireland Thinks polls confirmed overwhelming support for a ban. 

As you know, fox hunting involves horrendous cruelty to animals. Foxes are chased to exhaustion by packs of dogs and when caught, they are attacked, knocked off their feet, bitten, disembowelled and pulled apart. Foxes who try to escape underground suffer further cruelty. The hunt’s terriermen send terriers down the hole to corner and attack the fox. They dig the clay away from above and the squealing and injured fox is then pulled out and brutally killed.

Fox hunters try to justify their bloodsport by falsely portraying foxes as a threat to farming interests.

In fact, these fascinating and intelligent creatures are very much part of our natural heritage and play an important role in the ecosystem. Claims that foxes are a threat, ignore research by Teagasc which confirms that the vast majority of lamb deaths are caused by infection, dystocia, hypothermia and starvation. Teagasc stresses that farmers may “perceive predators (fox, mink, dog, etc) to be the main cause of lamb mortality” even though “it is unlikely that predators are the main cause”.

In any case, no farmer should seek to solve perceived problems by inviting dozens of hunters on horseback to hurtle heavily across wet winter fields, leaving pockmarked trails of destruction in their wake and posing a biosecurity risk as they traverse numerous boundaries.

The wild and wondrous madra rua (red dog) deserves to be cherished and afforded the same protection given to domestic dogs. It is unacceptable that they are the victims of recreational animal cruelty.

Animal welfare groups all across Ireland are united in their calls for a ban on fox hunting.

Please side with the compassionate majority of the electorate and back a ban. In doing so, you will be helping to stop the suffering and finally kill off this obscene bloodsport.

Thank you. I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

[Name/Address]

Please also get in touch with your local TDs and urge them to pledge support for a ban. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/34

Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael directly. Tell them that you want fox hunting banned.

Micheál Martin TD

Leader, Fianna Fail

Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie

Tel: 01 619 4000

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/

X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Simon Harris TD

Leader, Fine Gael

Telephone: 01 281 3727

Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie

X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Keep hunters off your land

If you are a landowner, make your land off-limits to hunters. Find out more about how to do this on our Farmers/Landowners page – http://www.banbloodsports.com/farmers.htm

Sign and share Uplift’s “Ban Fox Hunting” petition

https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/petition-to-ban-fox-hunting-in-ireland