I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this proposal from Deputy Coppinger. I wish to state clearly at the outset that I and my Department take the matter of animal welfare most seriously. My Department devotes considerable resources to protect the well-being of animals and deal with breaches of animal welfare legislation when they occur. The Government is fully committed to promoting good practices that respect the welfare of all animals. On behalf of the Government, I am putting forward our stance to oppose the Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill 2025, the reasons for which I will outline in my address this morning. The Government fully recognises the emotive nature of this policy area, which has been the subject of debate over many years. The Bill, as set out by Deputy Coppinger, proposes to amend section 12 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 which currently provides an exemption for the lawful hunting of an animal. Deputies will be aware that section of 12 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act was fully discussed and approved by the Oireachtas previously. It is important to note that hunting in Ireland today is not unregulated. Rather, it operates under clear codes of conduct, licensing, welfare standards and full insurance requirements. In accordance with section 25 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act, codes of conduct have been adopted by the members of the Hunting Association of Ireland that detail the conduct to be adhered to in respect of the hunting of foxes and treatment of animals during the hunt. The codes also take into account local concerns and the concerns of landowners on whose land hunting takes place. Foxes are not a protected species under the wildlife Acts in Ireland and it is legal to hunt foxes under the legislation. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, has no plans to change the legislation with regard to foxes at this time. Where a specific case of animal neglect or cruelty is identified, offences may be prosecuted under the Act. There are strict penalties that apply for offences under section 12 of this Act. On summary conviction, offences are liable to a class A fine to a maximum of €5,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both. On conviction of indictment, offences are liable to a fine not exceeding €250,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or both. In addition to these existing legislative protections, it is important to frame the context of today's debate beyond that of a binary choice between being with us or against us. To do so is deeply cynical and exploitative and it allows the serious issue of animal welfare to be used as a Trojan horse for a more divisive agenda. I have heard Deputies in this House who support a ban say they have never met anyone who has been on a hunt or, indeed, seen a hunt themselves. I find it incredible that this is used as a selling point to advocate for a ban. There has been no attempt to engage with the very community and cohort of people who would be most affected by such a move or effort to understand the opposite point of view. Decisions could be made today that fundamentally change people's lives and that of their communities and those making that decision remain entirely oblivious of the consequences by virtue of the fact that the activity is invisible to them. I recognise that this is a deeply emotive issue, one which people on both sides of the argument feel passionately about. Fox hunting represents a long-held tradition and is a part of a way of life for those involved. While it is not an activity the vast majority of people engage in, it means an awful lot to the people who do. People employed by hunting associations or who work in the kennels and care for the dogs and horses have woken up this morning not knowing whether there is a future for their job or animals when they go to bed tonight. It is entirely disproportionate to try to make criminals of these people overnight for engaging in an activity that, in many cases, stretches back generations. Beyond those directly affected, we must also be conscious of the wider negative impacts this could have for the farriers and vets who benefit from their business, the feed suppliers who rely on their custom, the farmers who avail of the fallen animal collection service they provide, which is most important, the local hospitality in places where commerce can be quiet, especially during the winter season and, indeed, the wider Irish equine sector too as we close down pathways for young riders passionate about horses, undermine the same associations that run our point-to-point races so successfully and lose important jobs and economic activity in rural areas where there are fewer alternatives. I also wish to reference the legislation itself. The Bill, as it is formed and worded, proposes to ban all hunting for foxes, regardless of the purpose and manner in which that hunting is carried out. It also proposes a ban on trail hunting. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman made the point that he accepts farmers need to shoot foxes on occasion as a control mechanism but, under this Bill, that activity would be illegal into the future. Deputy Healy touched on that as well. I gather from what he said that his understanding is that this normal activity could still happen.
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Under this Bill, however, that activity would not be permissible at all. As such, this Bill would ban the hunting of foxes with hounds, trail hunting with hounds and the shooting of foxes for pest control, which is carried out to protect livestock and forms an important source of foxes for disease surveillance purposes.
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Ireland is officially free of the zoonotic tapeworm echinococcus multilocularis. This is a severe tapeworm that causes debilitating diseases in humans. Annual surveillance in shot foxes provides evidence to prove the absence of the disease in Ireland, which allows us to require that all dogs entering the country are given preventative treatment prior to their arrival here, thus protecting public health as well as domestic pets and wildlife. This work would not be possible under the legislation as it is proposed before the House today. In respect of the pest control point, while attempts have been made to downplay this, the reality is that foxes prey on livestock and other wildlife such as rare ground-nesting birds, which is something Deputy Coppinger admitted to in her opening address. I have not seen many accounts online seeking to play on people's emotions posting photos of dead lambs or hens that have been attacked by foxes. We all know that anyone who has backyard hens generally always has a story about the night the fox came. Research shows that red foxes are widespread across Ireland and can be found in every county. The nature of Ireland's wildly-farmed, fragmented landscape and the absence of an apex predator means it lends itself to high fox densities. Indeed, Deputy Coppinger listed many of the animals of which the fox is a predator in her opening address and acknowledged that the fox does not have a natural predator. Hunting provides one of the necessary means of controlling the fox population in Ireland. Deputy Coppinger and People Before Profit are pursuing this as a wedge issue, specifically designed to be emotive and confrontational. If they were honest, this is only a starting point for them. I have no doubt there are many other rural activities they would also like to ban.
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If they get their way today, it will not stop there. Before long, People Before Profit would have us back here debating legislation no doubt to ban fishing-----
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-----because of the impact it would have on the worm and mayfly. The profile of animal welfare has never been higher and the prominence it receives in national, regional and social media reflects the seriousness with which this issue is treated by stakeholders, welfare groups, the public and this Government. On 19 November, I launched the six-week public consultation that will run to early January 2026 inviting views to inform the development of a new animal welfare strategy for the period 2026-2030. I encourage all interested stakeholders to provide feedback and comments and make recommendations around the direction, themes and thrust of the new animal health and welfare strategy. To legislate in isolation rather than on the basis of consultation and evidence risks unintended consequences and laws that do not work in practice. I will touch on one last point, which has been raised in earlier contributions and will no doubt continue to be raised, that is, a potential urban-rural divide. I absolutely agree with the previous contributors who said this is not and should not be about an urban-rural divide. I do not believe it is, either. This Bill can be much better divided along the lines of those who believe we can achieve so much more when we work to understand each other's perspectives and those who believe having the loudest voice in the room gives them the right to dictate how everyone else should live their lives. That is an important point that I hope is reflected in this debate today. I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for the opportunity to speak on this Bill.
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It refers to all hunting - all.
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The word “all” is there.
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It is not misinformation.
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I did.
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I defended it.
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