Countryside Alliance Ireland is horrified by the barbaric practices exposed in the recent BBC Spotlight investigation into dog fighting in Northern Ireland and across the world. What was revealed was nothing short of organised criminal cruelty, with international networks profiting from the brutal abuse of animals.
Let us be absolutely clear: dog fighting is a vile, illegal blood sport run by criminals. It has no place in any civilised society. We stand with enforcement agencies and the wider public in demanding tougher sentencing, greater resources, and a zero-tolerance approach to those who profit from this depravity.
However, we are equally appalled by Alliance MLA John Blair’s decision to exploit this shocking programme to push his own Private Member’s Bill to ban hunting with dogs.
Mr Blair’s attempt to conflate organised crime and animal torture with lawful country sports is nothing short of cynical opportunism. Dog fighting has nothing to do with hunting a wild animal in its natural state. The former is carried out purely for sadistic or gambling reasons, while the latter is part of a carefully regulated wildlife management process. Hunting is a legitimate, highly regulated activity rooted in tradition, conservation, and pest control. To equate the two is deliberately misleading and deeply insulting to rural people.
We also have statements from veterinarians highlighting these fundamental differences. It is misleading and dishonest for Mr Blair to conflate an illegal blood sport with lawful countryside practice. History reinforces this distinction: Irish MP Richard Martin, who introduced the first animal welfare law in 1822 and helped form the SPCA (later the RSPCA), was himself a fox hunter. Even then, he understood the difference between regulated hunting and animal cruelty.
John Blair’s actions show where his priorities lie: not with tackling real criminals, but with pursuing a long-standing ideological, prejudiced, crusade against rural communities. By hijacking this investigation to attack lawful and humane wildlife management, he risks distracting attention and resources away from the very people who should be in the dock, the gangs who brutalise animals for profit.
Countryside Alliance Ireland will not allow rural communities to be smeared or scapegoated. Farmers, land managers, and country people care for their animals and manage the land and wildlife every single day. They are part of the solution, not part of the problem.
We call on all politicians to put their energy into stamping out organised crime and cruelty, not into playing politics with the countryside.
Gary McCartney, Director of Countryside Alliance Ireland, said:
"Let’s be clear: dog fighting is a crime. Hunting is not. Mr Blair’s attempt to confuse the two is shameful, opportunistic, and an insult to every law-abiding rural community in Northern Ireland. Dog fighting is organised cruelty; hunting is part of humane wildlife management. Even Richard Martin understood the difference in 1822 – it’s disappointing that Mr Blair does not."