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Sinn Fein wants barbaric terrierwork to continue in Northern Ireland

Irish Council Against Blood SportsMullingar, Irlande

4 nov. 2026

Sinn Fein wants barbaric terrierwork to continue in Northern Ireland and is pushing for amendments to the Hunting With Dogs Bill which is seeking to ban the practice.

John Blair MLA's Hunting with Dogs Bill is currently at Committee Stage in Stormont. It aims to “prohibit hunting wild mammals with dogs, prohibit trail hunting and prohibit terrier work”.

If enacted, it will update the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 to make it an offence to “organise or participate in terrier work”, with terrier work defined as “inducing one or more dogs to enter a hole in the ground, or an enclosed space, in order to flush out or otherwise force a wild mammal to leave the hole or enclosed space, or to make it easier or quicker to dig a wild mammal out of the hole or enclosed space.”

Despite terrierwork involving the most appalling cruelty, a Sinn Fein MLA indicated that the party wants the practice to be exempted from the bill.

In a speech in Stormont on 26 May 2026, Áine Murphy MLA (Sinn Fein, Fermanagh and South Tyrone) said that the “the provisions relating to hunting mammals with dogs, including the prohibition of terrier work, do not sufficiently account for the realities facing farmers or the practicalities of wildlife management,” adding that “removing the ability to properly flush out a mammal that will naturally retreat underground risks ignoring the real challenges of protecting livestock [and] fails to reflect fully the complexity of managing wildlife populations in rural areas.”

She said she wanted to “strengthen the exemptions”.

Sinn Fein MLAs have been reminded that terrierwork involves extreme cruelty and under no circumstances should it be allowed in Northern Ireland.

“Whether this obscene practice takes place during a hunt or elsewhere, the suffering is the same,” we emphasised.

In hunting, when a fox attempts to find refuge underground from the pack of hounds, one or more terriers are sent down the hole. The fox is cornered and attacked. Both foxes and dogs suffer horrific injuries. Hunters dig the clay away from above before the bleeding and squealing fox is pulled out and killed.

Sinn Fein representatives have also stated that they want trail hunting to continue.

This is unacceptable. A ban on fox hunting must be coupled with a ban on trail hunting. This activity involves dogs following animal scents (fox urine, deer/hare carcasses) laid across the countryside. Dogs being trained to follow the scent of a fox are effectively being trained to pursue foxes. Trail hunts take place along a course which mimics a fox’s run (through hedges, ditches, woods, etc) and there is a high risk of hounds veering away from the trail to chase and kill wild animals. Trail hunting has been used as a cover for illegal hunting in the UK and the same would undoubtedly happen in Northern Ireland.

There is no justification for allowing hunting with hounds or trail hunting, particularly as the humane alternative of drag hunting exists. This involves hounds following an artificial, non-animal scent (e.g. aniseed) and it is pre-planned to avoid the habitats of wild animals. The pageantry, cross-country riding, jumping and related socialising would all remain. All that's missing is a terrified fox desperately running for dear life and the shocking conclusion of hounds attacking, biting and disembowelling.

The vast majority in Northern Ireland want hunting with hounds ended and they will not accept any amended bill that delivers anything less than a complete ban. MLAs from Sinn Fein and other parties must respect the views of the majority.

ACTION ALERT

Contact Sinn Fein MLAs and ask them to give full support to the Hunting with Dogs Bill at Committee Stage and ensure that it progresses intact to secure a long overdue ban on hunting with hounds, trail hunting and terrierwork in Northern Ireland.