In this episode, Clinical Animal Behaviourist Barbara Hardman responds to a publicly circulated Instagram video advocating against the proposed ban on fox hunting in Ireland.

https://www.instagram.com/antler_challenge?igsh=MWR0cHRpbWVhbTl2cg==

As the Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill 2025 progresses through the Dáil, this episode examines the claims being made in defence of fox hunting and asks whether they stand up to scrutiny when viewed through the lenses of animal welfare science, behaviour, psychology, ethics, and public evidence.

Using short excerpts from the original video for context, where I critically analyses recurring arguments around animal “purpose,” equine bravery, mental health, resilience, parenting, community, and rural life. I separates genuine human needs, such as connection, wellbeing, and belonging, from the practices being used to justify them, and challenges the idea that animal harm is necessary to meet those needs.

This is not a personal attack, nor a rejection of people’s lived experiences. It is a claim-by-claim examination of rhetoric, assumptions, and evidence, grounded in professional expertise and public-interest discussion.

With public polling indicating that a clear majority of Irish people support a ban on fox hunting, this episode also explores questions of equity, representation, and responsibility, including who gets to speak for “community,” and who bears the cost when animals have no voice at all.

📧barbara.j.hardman@brighthorse.ie

🌐https://www.brighthorse.ie/

🌐https://www.brighthound.ie/

☎️+353 85 143 8688