foxhunting ban

It would appear that British Prime Minister David Cameron’s admission in the House of Commons—that there will be no change to the Hunting Act due to lack of agreement among coalition ministers—is not his final word on the subject. (See earlier FHL news item.) The ban on fox hunting with a full pack of hounds could be relaxed after all, according to Christopher Hope in The Telegraph. Cameron’s words in the House of Commons notwithstanding, the Prime Minister has asked government officials to gather factual evidence to support a change to the Hunting Act. Under the ban as currently constituted, in cases where the landowner wants foxes killed, no more than two foxhounds may be used to flush a fox to a gun. Cameron along with Environment Secretary Owen Paterson had earlier proposed to amend that restriction, through a parliamentary device known as a statutory instrument, to allow up to forty hounds to flush a fox to a gun. Their proposed amendment was in response to complaints by Welsh sheep farmers of fox depredation on their flocks. Critics argued, however, that it was a “back door” attempt to reintroduce foxhunting. Cameron and Paterson were unable to garner sufficient votes, even within their own party, to bring the matter to a vote. Cameron now hopes to build a case based on hard evidence to persuade recalcitrant members of his coalition government that the ban should be eased in some parts of the country. The hill farmers argue that fox control under the ten-year-old ban has been insufficient, and changes are needed to ameliorate the growing threat to their livelihood. Before achieving leadership of the Conservative Party, Prime Minister Cameron rode with the Heythrop Foxhounds. Click for more details in Christopher Hope’s article in The Telegraph. Posted April 6, 2014

In what the Western Morning News calls a “game-changer,” the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) will soon be able to intensify its surveillance of foxhunting practices in England. An article by Martin Bell claims that The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) has financed the hiring and equipping of ex-armed forces personnel and covert surveillance specialists to replace the volunteers that have been monitoring hunting activities. The LACS believes that these professionals will be able to furnish the RCPCA with better evidence with which to prosecute foxhunters that do not hunt within the law. In his article, Bell removes all doubt—if any doubt ever existed—about what England’s Hunting Act is really about: class hatred. Supporting the role of the RSPCA in prosecuting animal abusers, Bell writes, “It should not make any difference whether the abuser is a crack-cocaine dealer with a maltreated dog in his council flat, or a land-owning toff with a double-barrelled name and a rural mansion who kills foxes illegally.” [Italics ours.] Bell scoffs at any hope that the Hunting Act might be repealed by Parliament. He points out that a recent petition by Members of Parliament to allow sheep farmers to flush a fox with a full pack fizzled out when only 40 out of 650 MPs signed it. Click for more details. Posted February 14, 2014

A new generation of urban Tory has upset the countryside’s applecart. Notwithstanding Prime Minister David Cameron’s pre-election pledge to allow a free vote in Parliament on the hunting ban, twenty members of his party are opposed to revisiting the ban. Calling themselves the Blue Fox group, they comprise a younger set of MPs who are conservative on economics but liberal on social issues. They insist that the Tory party should no longer be identified with “the hunting, shooting and fishing fraternity” and characterize Cameron’s pledge as “dead and buried.” Privately, some MPs of a more traditional view are also reluctant to insist upon a vote. They take the view that the ban as passed in 2004 is so unworkable and full of holes that hunting with hounds is proceeding without much police interference anyway. See Brenda Carlin’s article in the Mail for more details. Posted August 15, 2011

England’s Hunting Act will go unchallenged in 2011, despite Prime Minister David Cameron’s earlier pledge for a free vote in Parliament and despite former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s admission this year that passage of the Act was a mistake. Although the government claims there are more pressing issues requiring Parliament’s attention, there is doubt now that the ban could be repealed even if a vote were held in this session. While most Conservatives (Tories) in the last Parliament were pro-hunting, many of the newly elected Conservatives are not. A recently formed campaign group, Conservatives Against Fox Hunting, claims that two- thirds of Conservatives oppose repeal of the ban. Read more in Rosa Prince’s article in The Telegraph.December 27, 2010

The coalition government in Britain has confirmed its intention to offer Parliament a chance to repeal the Hunting Act by a free vote. After an online petition on the Number 10 Downing Street website called for repeal, the government responded, “The Act has not been a demonstrable success. It is an unnecessary drain on police resources and there have been few prosecutions. “We will put forward a motion before the House of Commons on whether the Act should be repealed and, if the motion is carried, bring forward legislation in due course.” See Abigail Butcher’s item in Horse and Hound for more.

July 7, 2010
Foxhunters in Britain are backing plans for regulation of hunting by an independent authority in return for an overturn of the despised 2004 Hunting Act.

Hunt supporters have proposed creation of a Hunting Regulatory Authority (HRA) which would demand a strict code of practice to eliminate unnecessary suffering of the fox and to ensure that hunts respect animals, property, land, and crops. Flouting of the code could result in prosecution in the courts and, for the guilty, fines and disbarment from hunting. Hunters with hounds operate under a similar system in Northern Ireland.