Support for rural hunts

Dec 28 2004

The hunting community launched a civil rights campaign against the Government yesterday as a record 300,000 people turned out nationwide to support the traditional Boxing Day meets. Hunts across the Midlands saw huge turnouts with an estimated 26,000 people showing their support to packs around the region. The meets came as a new poll commissioned by the Countryside Alliance found 77 per cent of people thought a ban on hunting with hounds, due to come into force on February 18, would be confusing and difficult to police. A second survey of 1,042 carried out by the group found that 96 per cent of people did not think Home Secretary Charles Clarke should concentrate on enforcing the ban. It is likely the ban on hunting could be delayed after the Government said it would not fight any injunction lodged by the Countryside Alliance as part of its legal challenge against the Hunting Act. The RSPCA and League Against Cruel Sports say they will contest any injunction to stop a delay.