Fox hunting ban looks inevitable

dublin | animal rights | other press

Wednesday November 17, 2004 20:53

by Ciaran Long - Association For Hunt Saboteurs

pagan_animal_liberation_front at hotmail dot com

A ban on fox hunting in England and Wales now looks inevitable after MPs rejected a last-ditch compromise.

As the fox hunting ban looks like it's going to go ahead in England and Wales, how much longer will it take before Ireland follows suit? With more and more hunt sabs groups developing around the country and the Farmers Against Fox Hunting (FAF) being in action for the past couple of years, the hunters in Ireland are now panicing. So much so that they've even brought an America investigater over to try and get information on the groups opposed to hunting. Red coats queing at our dole offices will be an interesting and satisfactory sight.

A ban on fox hunting in England and Wales now looks inevitable after MPs rejected a last-ditch compromise.

The Commons voted by 321 to 204 to reject a deal that could have allowed regulated hunting of foxes to continue.

MPs had already rejected a Lords amendment to allow licensed hunting of foxes, stags and hares.

The vote means that the Hunting Bill returns to peers and if they reject it again the government looks set to force it through using the Parliament Act.

Manifesto commitment

In the often heated Commons debate that preceded the vote, Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael had urged people to respect the will of the Commons.

"It is time to fulfil what is a manifesto commitment to enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on this issue," he said.

Tony Blair had favoured Ogmore member Huw Irranca-Davies's compromise amendment to allow licensed hunting of foxes to continue.

Mr Blair has once before voted for a total ban and his spokesman denied the prime minister was just seeking cover from pro-hunt anger.

The Tories also backed Mr Irranca-Davies' amendment if only "through gritted teeth", in the words of party spokesman James Gray.

He warned if hunting was banned "the people of the countryside will neither forget it or forgive it".

The Hunting Bill returns to the House of Lords on Wednesday and if there is no agreement before this session of Parliament ends on Thursday, the Commons speaker is expected to say the conditions needed for the Parliament Act to be used have been met.

The BBC has learned the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance has already written to Attorney General Lord Goldsmith giving notice it will challenge the legality of the 1949 Parliament Act if it is invoked.

MPs have suggested a ban be delayed until July 2006 to allow hunts to adapt.

That proposal has not yet been put to the House of Lords where some pro-hunt peers preferred a "kamikaze" option of rejecting any delay so a ban would come into force within three months.

They believed the anticipated civil disobedience among hunt supporters would then embarrass the government just before the general election.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/4015075.stm

Published: 2004/11/16 22:58:05 GMT

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Comments (8 of 8)

why foxhunting?

by susan

Tue Nov 23, 2004 14:37

susan.lynch6 at mail dot dcu dot ie

why are ye now looking to ban foxhunting in ireland? why not first end the torture that millions of farm animals endure in this country on a daily basis. foxes in ireland will live out most of their lives without ever seeing a hound. just because england does something does not mean that we must follow the leader as we always have done

Fox Hunting ban in Ireland

by Paul

Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:19

I come from the countryside, I know people who go Fox Hunting with hounds, in 3 years of hunting they have never caught a Fox, they dont care, they say its just an excuse to meet and give their horses a runout and their dogs, and then have a few beers afterwards, But even with that, There is actually a Fox epidemic in rural areas, its so bad at the moment that no one in my area is able to keep wild foul, anyone who has chickens or ducks has had them wiped out by the foxes, they even tried a fox cull but there are still too many, I think maybe the mild winters are not helping, but certainly fox hunting with hounds wouldnt make much difference, as everyone knows the young and the fit foxes never get seen, its the old dying ones that get caught out in the open by the hounds, If the hunts in the UK did used to be more successful in catching foxes than ours over here, well then they have just increased their fox population by banning hunting and they shall see an explosuion in numbers, if not well they just need to buy more shotguns like the farmers in Ireland have to in order to be able to keep small animals and birds on their property without them be killed during the night by every increasing number of foxes.

As I have said before

by rooster

Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:23

Hunt with hounds, the alternative is the re-introduction of snares, poison and shotguns.

Yes

by Clever boy

Fri Dec 03, 2004 13:04

Yes rooster because these methods of control were stopped. Yes rooster of course they were!

No, they were never stopped!

Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:58

But if they are the only alternatives left then people will have no other choice, face it, this is not a class issue but a simple case of common sense.

The only reason why it was banned was so Blair and his leadership could apologise to Labour voters over Iraq.

"No jujstification"

Sat Dec 04, 2004 13:52

The Labour Government commissioned the Burns Report, which failed to find any justification to ban hunting.

Over the last few years, many high profile people who used to be anti-hunting, now actually argue passionately that hunting should continue because of the vital role it plays in wildlife management and the countryside.

Also worth considering, is that organisations which have been campaigning for a ban on hunting for decades, are the same people who want to ban fishing, shooting and horse racing.

In actual fact, if they were to get their way, fly spray, mouse traps, chicken houses and the vast majority of farming practices would be a thing of the past, with much more on the target list to follow.

Against the ban

by Todd Blackford - school

Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:40

I think the ban shouldnt happen i goo fox hunting i think its great bollocks to blair

Dont ban Fox Hunting

by Todd Blackford

Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:46

I like foxhunting, and im never going to stop going . Bollocks to Blair!!!!

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Fox hunting ban looks inevitable

Comments (8 of 8)