The Back Page
A
s promised in the last issue this page will be devoted to giving a platform to members of the country sports fraternity to raise issues of concern to them in a robust fashion. The views expressed are the views of the author and are not necessarily the views of the editorial team of the magazine. This issue's platform is given to: Gary McCartney, NI Director of Countryside Alliance Ireland. I first met Mr John Blair at the launch of the Irish Game Fair at Shanes Castle not long after taking up his position as an Alliance Party MLA. I was obviously naturally wary of his presence due to the party stance on aspects of county sports and land management. However, I was reassured by my colleagues, who pointed out John had come from DAERA Inland Fisheries and that he had done a lot at the fair to promote angling notably the catch and release. During his address John said not once but twice “country sports have a friend in me.” I had hoped this new face in the party would have brought some balance and could be someone to help
Gary McCartney
the party, which appears to have been influenced by animal rights groups, better understand the need for wildlife management, in addition to the conservation and economic benefits this brings. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case and whilst we were in the middle of the second wave of the COVID-19 virus with case numbers increasing daily, John decided to start the public consultation process to introduce his Private Members Bill to Ban the Hunting of Wild Mammals with Dogs. It appeared to many in the country sports community that this consultation was in name only, leading to a
Most farmers welcome the tradition of the hunt on their land.
predetermined outcome, given that it was open to anyone no matter where in the world they happen to live. In explaining this proposed new legislation, evidence was ignored when inconvenient and selective references from Lord Bonomy’s review of the Scottish law used that were entirely at odds with that report’s findings. It did not say why this legislation is needed and was based on what can only be said to be a questionable polling and not on scientific evidence. For example, Lord Bonomy, in discussing hunting as an activity and method of wildlife management reaches very similar conclusions to the earlier Burns Inquiry. His findings support the continued use of packs of hounds for pest control and confirm the view that the restrictions on hunting in Scotland are not supported by the evidence. His findings also highlight how the Hunting Act in England and Wales, with its twodog limit, is even more arbitrary and without an evidential basis than the law in Scotland. Even more concerning is the fact that there was little engagement with a wide range of highly relevant stakeholders including ourselves and notably the Ulster Farmers Union, whose members would be directly affected by his proposals, and wider stakeholders who are interdependent on hunting. It would also seem that a social and economic impact assessment has not been undertaken. We have to take into account dedicated hunt
Irish Country Sports and Country Life Spring/Sumer 2021
97
