Foxhunting Remains an Issue as Elections Loom in UK
In the runup to the May 7 elections in Britain, foxhunting and the Hunting Act that outlawed traditional hunting there in 2005 are once again subjects for polarized wrangling in the British media. While issues of greater import confront the nation as a whole, foxhunting remains a burning issue in rural areas. For many in […]
Ten Years of the Hunting Ban in England
Liz Callar photoIt’s been ten years now since England’s Hunting Act of 2004 was enacted by the Labour government, and neither side is satisfied, says Stephen Moss in The Guardian.
To give the briefest of recaps, here’s what the law allows. Two hounds may be used to flush a fox to a gun; a pack of hounds may be used to flush a fox to a bird of prey; and/or a pack of hounds may follow a drag.
Most hunts in England and Wales opt for the drag. The problem comes when hounds find the line of a live fox and switch from the drag. At that point, huntsman and staff are supposed to stop hounds. The huntsman says, Easier said than done. The hunt monitor with his video cam rolling says, Not only did you fail to try to stop hounds, you even encouraged your hounds! There’s the rub, and there’s the basis of most of the prosecutions in court. In the end, it all depends on the persuasiveness of the evidence.
Tony Blair, prime minister at the time of the bill’s passage, later wrote that his support of the legislation was a mistake. When David Cameron, a foxhunter himself, became prime minister, he promised a free vote in Parliament aimed at reversing the ban. However, he has not been able to get enough support within his own government’s coalition to give him the confidence to push for such a vote.
Foxhunters Acquitted; Repeal the Ban Says Defense Solicitor
A British defense solicitor has called for an end to the hunting ban in England because too many prosecutions are thrown out for lack of evidence. Passion, yes, he says. Evidence, no. A Master and huntsman from the Weston and Barnwell Harriers and his whipper-in were recently acquitted in court of charges leveled by […]
British PM Abandons Plan to Ease Hunting Ban
Speculation about any near-term relaxation of the hunting ban in England has been laid to rest. The BBC reports that British Prime Minister David Cameron informed the House of Commons that there will be no change to the Hunting Act as passed in 2004. Expressing regret, Cameron said that coalition ministers had failed to reach […]
Hunting Ban Could Be Repealed, But for Scots, Says Countryside Alliance
The Countryside Alliance believes that there would be sufficient votes in Commons to overturn the hunting ban, but for the votes of the Scottish Labour MPs. The government is being urged to reform the system which gives Scottish MPs veto rights on legislation that has no impact in Scotland. Tim Bonner of the Countryside Alliance […]
Boxing Day Brings Britain No Closer to Repeal of the Ban
Boxing Day, traditionally the best-attended day of the hunting season in England, will bring large fields and throngs of hunt supporters to the meets, but no solace in their dreams of repealing the despised Hunting Act of 2005. Prime Minister David Cameron’s campaign pledge to bring the matter to a vote in Parliament notwithstanding, such […]
New Hunting Bill to Be Introduced in UK
The British government is expected to introduce a new hunting bill in Parliament that would abolish hare coursing and stag hunting. The hunting of fox with hounds would be allowed in parts of England and Wales under a licensing system. Once the bill is introduced and the content is known, it will surely provoke controversy. […]
Boxing Day Foxhunting Meets Draw Big Crowds in UK
While Boxing Day—the day after Christmas—passes largely unnoticed in the U.S., it traditionally draws large number of riders and spectators at foxhunting meets in England. According to The Daily Mail, a quarter of a million hunt supporters turned out for meets all across the country. Now a bank holiday in England, Boxing Day is thought […]
Promised Vote on British Foxhunting Ban “Dead and Buried”
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 […]
Some Good News from England and Northern Ireland
Ginni Beard photo
As 2010 closes, two pieces of good news should bring cheer to all supporters of hunting. A Hunting Bill in Northern Ireland has been rejected, and a case against the Sinnington Foxhounds in Yorkshire has failed.
Northern Ireland
Yesterday evening the Northern Ireland Assembly rejected a Hunting Bill that was introduced into the Assembly by Green Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Brian Wilson. This Private Member’s Bill was virtually identical to the Hunting Act of 2004 in England and Wales, so its rejection by the Assembly sends a strong and clear message to Westminster: the Hunting Act is a bad law, and we in Northern Ireland do not wish to repeat the mistake.