Cllr Flynn said “Fox hunting is vile cruelty dressed up as ‘sport’. Sinn Féin’s vote in the Dáil yesterday (17th December), taken alongside their record in the Assembly, shows a clear pattern. When they are given a chance to ban hunting with dogs, they choose instead to defend it.
If Sinn Féin believes fox hunting is wrong, they should come out and say so. If they believe it should continue, they should at least be honest with the public. What they cannot do is claim the language of animal welfare while repeatedly voting to keep this bloodsport legal across the island of Ireland.
A recent Ireland Thinks poll reported that 72% of the Irish people want fox hunting banned.
In Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK where hunting with dogs remains legal, a public consultation drew over 18,000 responses, with more than three-quarters backing a ban.
The evidence is overwhelming, and so is the will of the people. Majorities across the island, including thousands who engaged directly in consultation here in Northern Ireland, demand change. It is time to end the hunting of wild animals with packs of dogs and finally bring our laws into line with modern standards of animal welfare."
ENDS