Editorial: The wider consequences of a hunting ban in Northern Ireland must be considered, such as the implications for shooting

​Field sports – and indeed the country way of life as we know it in Northern Ireland – face an uncertain future as a new law to ban fox hunting grinds its way through Stormont.

​Alliance MLA John Blair has brought a private members bill seeking to outlaw the hunting of wild mammals with dogs, with the aim of ending an ancient practice he – and many others – see as barbaric.

Fox hunting with dogs even splits opinion in the countryside, with some who engage in other forms of hunting opposed. But supporters argue it is an efficient, even humane, way to keep fox numbers under control.

What many agree on, is that any ban would not stop there – whether intentionally, or unintentionally. Comments by Mr Blair about what the law – still being drafted by NI Assembly officials – would contain, do raise legitimate questions about the impact it would have on shooting, for example.

The suggestion that more than two gundogs would constitute a pack – and therefore be banned – is an unnecessary restriction. People shooting game, wildfowl or rabbits may well have more than two dogs. Big shoots have many more.

But they are trained to flush out and carefully retrieve humanely killed prey, not to hunt to kill.

The logic – to avoid loopholes in a law banning fox hunting – might seem reasonable. How else could anyone differentiate a shoot and a fox hunt? However, it is clear that banning hunting with dogs will sow confusion and create an unnecessary chill factor for other country pursuits.

Those involved in entirely legal shoots could easily find themselves under investigation, accused – perhaps maliciously – of fox hunting. MLAs need to think very carefully about the intended and unintended consequences of such a law.