High Court verdict hailed by anti-hunt campaigners

ANIMAL welfare groups have welcomed last week’s ruling by the High Court on the Hunting Act. The court was asked to give judgment on points of law concerning the legislation. It ruled that any individual accused of hunting with dogs and who claims their actions were exempt under the law must offer an explanation.

by Tribune Web Editor
Thursday, February 12th, 2009

by Marcus Papadopoulos

ANIMAL welfare groups have welcomed last week’s ruling by the High Court on the Hunting Act. The court was asked to give judgment on points of law concerning the legislation. It ruled that any individual accused of hunting with dogs and who claims their actions were exempt under the law must offer an explanation.

The ruling paves the way for cases of alleged hunting – which had been put on hold pending the judgment – to proceed to court.

Douglas Batchelor, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, told Tribune that the ruling “made it very clear what the law is and removed doubt as to what the law is”. He added that it will “help stiffen the back of the police and the CPS to enforce the law”.

Commenting on the possible impact hunting may have during the next general election, Mr Batchelor said that Vote-OK, an organisation with close ties to the pro-hunt lobby, is planning to unseat anti-hunting Labour MPs in marginal constituencies across the country by assisting the Conservative candidates standing against them.

Mr Batchelor said that Tory leader David Cameron is unlikely to make hunting a high priority at the next election, knowing it could damage his efforts to eradicate the Tory Party’s “nasty image”.

He cited a recent Ipsos MORI poll which found that 59 per cent of people who are prepared to vote Conservative at the next general election are opposed to hunting.

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About The Author

  • Chris Gale

    As an animal welfare campaigner and hunt monitor (living within 10 miles of three hunts) I disagree with the analysis of Douglas Batchelor. He does not speak for the whole animal welfare movement, far from it.
    Protect Our Wild Animals (www.powa.org.uk) is campaigning for the law to be strengthened to include a recklessness clause. Currently the hunted animal is being hounded to death in exactly the same way as it was before the ban. Over 70 MPs have now signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament supporting the urgent need to strengthen the law so it does what it says on the tin.
    Full info and articles at the POWA website.

  • Chris Gale

    As an animal welfare campaigner and hunt monitor (living within 10 miles of three hunts) I disagree with the analysis of Douglas Batchelor. He does not speak for the whole animal welfare movement, far from it.
    Protect Our Wild Animals (www.powa.org.uk) is campaigning for the law to be strengthened to include a recklessness clause. Currently the hunted animal is being hounded to death in exactly the same way as it was before the ban. Over 70 MPs have now signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament supporting the urgent need to strengthen the law so it does what it says on the tin.
    Full info and articles at the POWA website.

  • Denise Ward

    Unfortunately the public is being led to believe that hunts are obeying – or feeling obliged to try and obey – the law. Nothing could be further from the truth. I see the hunts out in my area, as normal. As well as continuing to kill foxes hunts are continuing to inflict distress and disruption.I have gathered data on 66 incidents since the Ban. In 59 of the 66 a pack of hounds is completely out of control. In 45 cases they are out of control on private property such as gardens.In 30 cases hounds are out of control on the public highway.In 20 cases animals are torn apart by foxhounds in front of members of the public in private or public areas. These are: 11 foxes, 2 deer, 1 pet goat, 1 alpaca, 4 cats,1 pet terrier. Animals seriously injured and needing extensive veterinary treatment include 2 dogs, 2 horses.
    In 6 cases out of control packs of hounds surround or run through young children in private or public areas. In 4 cases animals are torn apart in front of children. In 8 cases foxhounds chasing a fox across a road are hit and killed or badly injured by passing motorists.Bear in mind that this is likely to be the tip of an iceburg. Most hunting incidents are not reported or officially recorded. I can testify that many people in hunting areas are still afraid of the hunt and its supporters and will not speak out. For those that do report hunt incidents, there are no legal sanctions available apart from expensive private civil action, and the police can take no action. In none of the incidents cited have the hunts concerned suffered any penalty in law or even reprimand apart from one exceptional case of an ASBO warning.
    Hunts are gangsters with an upper class component.They are addicted to violent killing (I have just come across my third eye witness account of a pregnant vixen being torn apart by a pack of hounds). They do what they like, and nobody appears to be able to stop them. The law needs to be sharpened and applied on behalf of the majority of humane and civilised people in this country.

  • Denise Ward

    Unfortunately the public is being led to believe that hunts are obeying – or feeling obliged to try and obey – the law. Nothing could be further from the truth. I see the hunts out in my area, as normal. As well as continuing to kill foxes hunts are continuing to inflict distress and disruption.I have gathered data on 66 incidents since the Ban. In 59 of the 66 a pack of hounds is completely out of control. In 45 cases they are out of control on private property such as gardens.In 30 cases hounds are out of control on the public highway.In 20 cases animals are torn apart by foxhounds in front of members of the public in private or public areas. These are: 11 foxes, 2 deer, 1 pet goat, 1 alpaca, 4 cats,1 pet terrier. Animals seriously injured and needing extensive veterinary treatment include 2 dogs, 2 horses.
    In 6 cases out of control packs of hounds surround or run through young children in private or public areas. In 4 cases animals are torn apart in front of children. In 8 cases foxhounds chasing a fox across a road are hit and killed or badly injured by passing motorists.Bear in mind that this is likely to be the tip of an iceburg. Most hunting incidents are not reported or officially recorded. I can testify that many people in hunting areas are still afraid of the hunt and its supporters and will not speak out. For those that do report hunt incidents, there are no legal sanctions available apart from expensive private civil action, and the police can take no action. In none of the incidents cited have the hunts concerned suffered any penalty in law or even reprimand apart from one exceptional case of an ASBO warning.
    Hunts are gangsters with an upper class component.They are addicted to violent killing (I have just come across my third eye witness account of a pregnant vixen being torn apart by a pack of hounds). They do what they like, and nobody appears to be able to stop them. The law needs to be sharpened and applied on behalf of the majority of humane and civilised people in this country.