Sinn Fein position on Stormont fox-hunting ban unclear amid questions about its impact on shooting

​The party has also yet to respond to a query from the News Letter on where it stands on the issue of potential restrictions on the use of gundogs in the Hunting with Dogs Bill.

Similar legislation brought by John Blair MLA in 2021 failed to secure the party’s backing and was voted down in the Assembly.

At the Sinn Fein ard fheis at the weekend, a membership proposal for a ban on the practice of fox hunting with dogs “for the sole purpose of leisure” was narrowly passed by delegates in Belfast.

The party later said that its policy is “to prohibit fox hunting on horseback with hounds” but there “are no other changes to our policies in relation to hunting or any other rural pursuits”.

However, questions have been raised about whether the Mr Blair’s Stormont private members bill would also impact other country pursuits, such as the use of gundogs when shooting wild mammals like rabbits or deer.

Mr Blair initially told the News Letter the law would cover “other forms of hunting where dogs are used to flush or kill rabbits”. He later retreated from that position, saying that was not the intention, but added “we might have to look at the numbers of dogs being used”.

The proposed legislation, now published, would restrict the number of gundogs which could be used and the purposes for which they can be used.

The News Letter asked Sinn Fein on Tuesday whether it supports the Alliance MLA’s bill in principle.

We also asked whether it would oppose any provisions within it which impacted on other country pursuits such as shooting. The party did not respond.

Earlier this week, the republican party’s southern spokesperson on agriculture Martin Kenny TD told the Agriland farming news website that: "Sinn Féin supports the right of farmers to protect their livestock from predators including foxes and Sinn Féin continues to support rural country pursuits including fishing, shooting and drag or trail hunting”.