Minister accused of stoking 'culture war' between town and country after condemning hunting - as MLAs prepare for key vote next week

Andrew Muir said the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland do not consider hunting wild animals to be part of the rural way of life – prompting a claim that he is “opting for a culture war” against the countryside.

The Daera minister’s comments come as MLAs face into a key vote next week on whether to back legislation from his party which would ban hunting with dogs – and restrict current practice on the use of gundogs for shooting.

The legislation has been framed as a ban on fox hunting, but its proposer John Blair has previously said its intent is to ban “other forms of hunting where dogs are used to flush or kill rabbits”. Despite later rowing back from that position, the draft legislation before the assembly next Tuesday has led to claims it would do just that.

Mr Muir was asked about whether he had any concerns about the right to hunt game as he faced questions in the assembly on Monday.

DUP MLA Paul Frew asked whether he has any concerns over the “damage” that the bill could do to countryside management, countryside practices and the right to hunt game.

In response, Mr Muir said: “I am conscious of our rural community and proud to be the minister who is responsible for rural affairs. However, the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland do not consider the hunting of wild animals to be part of the rural way of life. It is cruelty to animals, and it is wrong.”

Mr Frew told the News Letter the minister and his party are wrong to say that the vast majority of people in NI do not consider that hunting is part of the rural way of life.

“The Hunting with Dogs Bill does not just ban organised fox hunting with the horses and the hound travelling across ground, it has the potential to damage countryside management and practices, and to completely alter the ability and right to hunt game on foot, for food and countryside management, using legally held guns and dogs to search and retrieve.

“The minister has made a sweeping statement in the NI Assembly that he believes hunting is cruelty to animals and is wrong, he certainly has shown his ignorance of the rural way of life with that statement. Rural dwellers who shoot and hunt are the custodians of wildlife, people like them have managed it for millennia and care deeply for the vibrancy of the countryside and hugely respect wild animals and their habitat.

“The agriculture minister really does need to reflect on his statement,” the North Antrim MLA said.

Gary McCartney, director of Countryside Alliance Ireland, said there is “absolutely no justification for this prejudiced ban”.

He told the News Letter: “Blair’s bill has wide-ranging consequences and will dangerously impact all aspects of country life: from the mere act of walking a dog, to field sports and vital wildlife management. Mr Muir is completely out of touch with the reality of rural NI. He is opting for a culture war against its people with a full scale attack on not only hunting, but every aspect of rural life.”

Daera said Minister Muir “remains opposed to animal cruelty, including the hunting of wild mammals with dogs”. They said DAERA is considering the provisions within the Hunting with Dogs Bill, and the Minister will outline his position in the Assembly next week.