Dogs needed for hunting on hills, MLAs told

The ability to hunt with dogs is essential for effective predator control in upland areas of NI, Stormont’s agriculture committee has been told.

As part of its scrutiny of draft legislation to ban hunting of wild mammals with dogs, Assembly members heard from the Irish Working Terrier Federation last Thursday, October 15.

Brian McCullough said in areas like the Glens of Antrim, a team of working dogs is required to find a fox among vast areas of tall, upland vegetation.

“You think about trying to shoot foxes in that area. You cannot see a fox. He is in heather two or three foot deep […] but the hounds will show me where he is,” he said.

Reliant

McCullough said local farmers are reliant on huntsmen to keep predators under control and he gave the example of an Antrim farmer who lost 42 lambs to foxes in one week this spring.

Owen Mulcahy from the same organisation said there are numerous examples across Ireland where biodiversity is negatively impacted once wildlife management stops.

“When control measures stop it has a devastating effect on vulnerable species and endangered species, in particular ground nesting birds,” he said.

A different perspective

Robbie Marsland from the League Against Cruel Sports gave a different view, pointing out that similar legislation is already in place in other parts of the UK.

“There is one group of people who are going to have a chill when they see this legislation pass, as I hope it does, and that is people who enjoy encouraging packs of hounds to chase and kill wild mammals,” he said.