Last night (17 December), the Irish parliament voted down a Bill to ban fox hunting in the Republic by a big margin. The debate was reminiscent of those in Westminster 25 years ago with promoters of a ban making emotive and unproven claims that traditional hunting is inhumane, whilst adding a topping of class war.
The only real difference was the argument that “there is nothing republican about fox hunting” from Labour TD, Ged Nash, who claimed that hunting “belongs to a past defined by hierarchy, elitism, exclusion, imperialism”. The welfare of British foxes was apparently compromised by class. Irish foxes have the additional burden of suffering caused by historic colonial indignities. A reminder, if nothing else, that debates about fox hunting rarely have anything to do with foxes or hunting.
I know that our friends in Ireland are more than aware that whilst they have won this battle, yesterday marks the start of their war, not the end. The ban on hunting in England and Wales was preceded by endless private members’ bills over more than half a century. If there are lessons to be learned from that long process the main one is not to rest on the laurels of victory.
The Minister of Agriculture started his speech in opposition to the Bill by saying that hunting “operates under clear codes of conduct, licensing, welfare standards and full insurance requirements”. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein has a policy which supports the strong regulation of hunting as opposed to an outright ban which it says is liable to drive such pursuits underground, where they would not be subject to any animal welfare regulations. The ability to show that any activity – especially one involving animals – is responsible and well-regulated is always the first line of defence for politicians.
This will become relevant in Northern Ireland in the coming weeks when Alliance Assembly Member, John Blair, plans to introduce his Bill to ban hunting in Stormont. Mr Blair last trod this route in 2021 when his badly drafted legislation was narrowly defeated after a successful campaign by Countryside Alliance Northern Ireland. The message from yesterday’s vote will certainly reach Stormont but it seems unlikely that Mr Blair will make the same errors this time round. Hunts in the North will need to be able to show that they are operating to high standards too.
The debate on banning trail hunting in England and Wales, which the government seems determined to pursue despite so many other pressing priorities, will be on the one hand very different, but on the other much the same. The government claims that it needs to legislate in order to enforce the legislation passed in 2004.
This seems odd, not least because more people have been convicted under the Hunting Act than any other piece of wildlife legislation since it was passed, but on the surface at least this will be a debate about legality, not animal welfare. However, just as in Ireland, the most important factor in the eventual outcome will be how trail hunting is perceived and whether politicians think hunts are operating responsibly and legitimately. That is the challenge we face both in Northern Ireland and in England and Wales over the coming months and years.