Hunting deal: New agreement gives farmers and landowners final say on allowing access, says union
A new deal has boosted the right of farmers and landowners to allow or reject hunting on their land.
That’s according to the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), which was speaking after altering its agreement with bodies overseeing the country sport.
From next year, hunts must obtain written permission from landowners every year, and all routes through private property have to be agreed with farmers in advance.
Any instructions from landowners must be obeyed, and each individual landowner has the final say on whether hunting activity is permitted on their property at all – and, if it is allowed, what conditions apply to it.
That’s the situation after a long-standing deal involving the UFU, Countryside Alliance Ireland and the Northern Ireland Masters of Hounds Association was rewritten.
The rule changes come into effect at the start of the 2027 hunting season.
According to UFU president John McLenaghan, the new deal is centred around a “clear recognition that landowners control their land”.
He said: “We will always stand up for the rights of our farm families. However, we also recognise that many farmers are happy to allow hunts across their land in pursuit of traditional country sports, and we welcome the respectful engagement that most hunts and their representative organisations have with local farmers.
“The decision on whether a hunt can access land rests solely with the landowner, and this agreement provides the assurances and clarity needed moving forward.”
Countryside Alliance Ireland director Gary McCartney said the deal shows “what can be achieved when the country pursuits and farming communities come together to agree a common set of standards”.