Bill to ban fox hunting defeated in the Dáil by 124 votes to 24

The Bill would not have outlawed the shooting of foxes on one’s land to protect livestock

Animal rights groups, conservationists, and rural advocates joined Ruth Coppinger and Paul Murphy outside Leinster House to call for a ban on fox hunting last week. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

A bill that would have seen fox hunting banned in Ireland was defeated in the Dáil on Wednesday night.

The Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2025, which was proposed by People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger, would have prohibited the use of dogs to hunt or flush out foxes and prohibit trapping or snaring of the foxes for the purposes of killing them.

The Bill would not have outlawed the shooting of foxes on one’s land in order to protect livestock.

Though 24 TDs voted in favour of the Bill, 124 voted against it.

Earlier this month, a survey carried out by Ireland Thinks, which was commissioned by campaign group Uplift, revealed that there is widespread support for a ban on fox hunting here. 

According to the poll, 72% of respondents said they would support proposal to ban on the practice as a sport. 17% said they would not support such a proposal, and 11% said they were not sure.

The same poll found that 98% of people had never taken part in a fox hunt.

After the vote in the Dáil, Ms Coppinger hit out at the TDs who voted down her bill.

"FF, FG, SF, Independent Ireland and Aontú vote to keep fox hunting despite 85% opposing blood sports," she wrote in a post on social media.

"Not the first time Dáil has been poles apart from population."