The ban foxhunting campaign continues.
That was the defiant message issued by animal rights organisations and supporters in response to Ruth Coppinger’s People Before Profit-Solidarity TD bill to outlaw foxhunting been defeated in the Dáil.
The Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill 2025 was discussed for two hours in a Dáil sitting.
Later that evening, a vote was taken on the Bill which saw 124 TDs vote against and 24 voting for the Bill.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Sinn Féin imposed a whip on their TDs.
The proposed Bill aimed to amend the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which contains an exemption for hunting.
The Bill, if enacted, would add a paragraph to Section 12 to “specify that fox hunting and related practices are banned and therefore cannot be considered as lawful hunting”. Trail hunting and the snaring and trapping of foxes would also be outlawed under this legislation.
Ruth Coppinger who introduced the Bill in May of this year, said that fox hunting is a cruel and inhumane so-called blood sport and it should be outlawed.
Speaking during the debate she said, ‘There is overwhelming opposition to fox hunting in this country. It is not popular whatsoever. 73% of people in the most recent poll are opposed to fox hunting and only 12% expressed any support for it.’
TDs Views
A number of TDs spoke in favour of the Bill including, Richard Boyd Barrett, Jenifer Whitmore and Paul Murphy.
They raised the issue of cruelty in foxhunting and that the view of the Irish people who want fox hunting banned should be respected.
TDs opposed to the Bill included Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Healy-Rae and Richard O’Donoghue. Their defence of fox hunting focussed on the damage that foxes cause to the Irish sheep industry and in their view, this Bill represents an attack on rural life.
Ban Foxhunting Campaign Continues
Despite the defeat, Ruth Coppinger said the political tide is going out on foxhunting.
She said, ‘The establishment parties are trying to divert from their underinvestment in rural communities by eulogising about my bill to ban fox hunting as a ‘culture war’ between the rural and urban populations. It is clear as day that the vast majority of people living in every corner of this Island want this banned.
‘A small fox hating minority and their rotten representatives in government unfortunately won’t let this happen. Well done to everyone involved in this campaign that has undoubtedly left a mark — stay tuned for a meeting on next steps in the new year.’
Watch the Dáil debate on Ruth Coppinger TD’s “Ban Fox Hunting” bill – 17 December 2025.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=T6OXndumdUc
The Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill 2025
How your TD voted:
Yes /24
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Nash, Ged.
- O’Callaghan, Cian.
- O’Donoghue, Robert.
- O’Gorman, Roderic.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Ward, Charles.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
No/124
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brady, John.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter ‘Chap’.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Michael.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Martin.
- Daly, Pa.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O’Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Neville, Joe.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O’Callaghan, Jim.
- O’Connell, Maeve.
- O’Connor, James.
- O’Dea, Willie.
- O’Donnell, Kieran.
- O’Donoghue, Richard.
- O’Donovan, Patrick.
- O’Hara, Louis.
- O’Meara, Ryan.
- O’Reilly, Louise.
- O’Rourke, Darren.
- O’Shea, John Paul.
- O’Sullivan, Christopher.
- O’Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Ward, Barry.
- Ward, Mark.
Get in Touch
If you have a tip for an animal welfare issue, an animal news article, a press release, or just want to just reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you. John Tierney, Animal News Ireland/Editor
Support Animal Journalism
Animal News Ireland (ANI) is an independent news site reporting on animal-related stories from around Ireland. Please support our work to be the voice of sentient creatures.