Countryside Alliance Ireland (CAI) has issued a firm condemnation of a new Bill introduced by Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger, which seeks to ban fox hunting in the Republic of Ireland. The Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill 2025 introduced in the Dáil on 27 May, proposes to make hunting wild mammals with dogs illegal, a move CAI can only describe as an ideological and ill-informed attack on rural life.

While the Bill was permitted to move forward to Second Stage following an unusual vote at First Reading, the Government has already confirmed it will oppose the Bill at Second Stage, making its defeat highly likely when it returns to the Dáil floor.

Gary McCartney, Director of Countryside Alliance Ireland, said. “This Bill is detached from the realities of rural Ireland, fox hunting is not a sport of the elite; it is a time-tested, means of managing wildlife vital to the protection of livestock and the rural economy. The Government’s intention to oppose this Bill is both welcome and necessary.”

Fox hunting plays a significant role in managing Ireland’s population of red foxes, which pose a well-documented threat to lambs, poultry, and ground-nesting birds. With limited non-lethal alternatives and no natural predators to curb their numbers, fox hunting remains, in the eyes of many in the countryside, an essential form of land management.

CAI also understands unlike TD Ruth Coppinger that hunting is a cross-community activity, particularly in Northern Ireland, where it unites people from across religious, political, and social divides. “Hunting in Ireland is one of the few traditional practices that actively brings communities together, Hunting is not a matter of class or creed it's about culture, community, and conservation.

While animal rights advocates backing the Bill claim fox hunting is cruel and outdated, CAI is clear that properly conducted hunting is humane, effective, and carried out with respect for animal welfare laws.

Importantly, CAI warns that if this Bill is, as expected, defeated at Second Stage, any attempt to introduce similar legislation in Northern Ireland would leave the North as an outlier on the island of Ireland, further complicating already sensitive cross-border rural policy issues.

CAI believe that introducing a fox hunting ban in Northern Ireland while the Republic retains its existing framework would be deeply divisive and completely out of step with the shared cultural landscape of rural life on both sides of the border, We therefore urge Stormont and Westminster to take heed of the Irish Government’s rejection of this politicised and impractical proposal.

We are also closely monitoring Ruth Coppinger’s proposed Bill, which poses significant concerns for those involved in rural sports, farming, and traditional countryside pursuits. Countryside Alliance Ireland will continue to stand firmly against any legislation that undermines rural communities, and we remain committed to protecting your rights and way of life.