Hunt supporters can see no quick repeal of Act (From The Northern Echo)
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Hunt supporters can see no quick repeal of Act
9:50am Monday 17th May 2010 in News
SENSITIVE SUBJECT: Pro-hunting campaigners accept they are unlikeley to see the ban on hunting with dogs lifted in the near future
PRO-HUNTING campaigners in the region say they accept they are unlikely to see the ban on hunting with dogs lifted in the near future.
Despite the Conservatives promising a free vote on a repeal of the Hunting Act, hunt supporters admitted yesterday that the new coalition Government had more important issues to tackle before foxhunting.
The comments come as a report by the League Against Cruel Sports suggests that the failure by the Tories to win a clear majority means the ban would not be lifted, even if a free vote was taken.
The pressure group calculated that 328 MPs would vote against repealing the act, compared to 293 for. It said that the majority of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs backed the ban, while most Conservatives would like to see the act repealed.
Steve Clark, North-East and Yorkshire regional director of the Countryside Alliance, said he had not “sat down and worked out the numbers” but added: “Even a majority Conservative government would still have had the same problems and the same priorities, such as the economy.”
He said: “It was a clear Conservative election policy to repeal the act, but there are any amount of far more important issues that they will have to look at first.
“I hope they will consider the repeal in the fullness of time.”
Ken Fox is joint master of the Hurworth Hunt, which is based in West Rounton, near Northallerton.
He said: “The coalition has more pressing matters to work with.
“Whether it will get the priority it was given in the Conservative manifesto now I’m not sure.”
Douglas Batchelor, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said he wanted the Hunting Act to remain off the political agenda throughout the new parliament.
He added: “The message to the new MPs and to the hunters and to those inclined to support them, should be very clear.
“The people’s answer to cruelty for sport is – no, not in our name you don’t. Not with our consent do you chase and kill for sport. Animal abuse and cruelty for sport is a crime and it should stay a crime.”
Comments(4)
Durham Reiver
says...
6:25pm Mon 17 May 10
Do you get as worked up about the disasterous mess that Blair, Brown and New Labour left this country in?
barnybabe
says...
2:28pm Tue 18 May 10
Durham Reiver wrote:While I dont agree with most forms of blood sport, I have worked within the hunting field and feel I must comment.
babz Do you get as worked up about the disasterous mess that Blair, Brown and New Labour left this country in?
The ban on hunting will not stop the majority hunting, it is not every hunt day that a fox is killed or even found, it is a very good way of exercising the horses and hounds.
A complete ban on hunting with have effects that most people dont think about, while the horses can be sold or found other ways of excercising, what about the hounds who are trained for hunting, born and bred for it, what will be done about them, well most will be shot, there are hundreds of hounds around this country all bred for the same thing and nothing else, to the people who own the hounds, these animals have one job, to hunt, if these animals get injured or old, without been able to do as they are trained, they are no good, so why will they waste time and money having these dogs distroyed humanely, they wont, why waste money, when they can do the job themsevles.
All I hear is people, against hunting with hounds, not one of these people think about what will happen to the hounds that are shot, or the people that will lose there jobs, when the country is in dire straights about jobs.
While I agree some forms of hunting should be banned, stag hunting, etc, but there are other more pressing problems this country has to deal with LIKE employment, instead of moaning and groaning about something that has been an english sport for generations.
Janet S eymour Kirk
says...
5:18pm Mon 24 May 10
babz says...
5:13pm Mon 17 May 10