If it gets into power, Labour has vowed to ‘eliminate’ loopholes in the fox hunting ban to stop hounds killing livestock and other animals
According to the opposition party, there is no majority in ‘any part of the country’ that wants fox hunting to continue.
Furthermore, added shadow environment secretary Steve Reed, the party would close loopholes that exist in the current ban.
These include a loophole which allows some types of hunting to go on if it could be said to prevent hounds from killing companion animals and livestock.
While toughening up the Hunting Act, Labour has also pledged to ban trail hunting (where hunters claim hounds follow a pre-laid scent rather than a wild animal).
While some country-based campaigners say the plans are an ‘attack on rural communities’, Steve Reed said the plans were not about ‘telling country people how to live their lives’.
Rather, he said, many rural voters want to see these kinds of changes implemented.
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Foxes aren't the only animals exploited by fox hunting. Photo © dageldog via Getty Images
Fox Hunting
The 2004 Hunting Act was introduced by Sir Tony Blair’s administration.
However, some have argued that it was an attack on certain classes rather than an attempt to improve animal welfare.
While the Conservative party gave MPs an opportunity to repeal the Act with a free vote, this was dropped in Boris Johnson’s 2019 manifesto.
The current Act isn’t popular with all animal welfarists though, because they argue that loopholes like using trail hunting can be used as a ‘smokescreen’ for really hunting live animals.
According to Steven Reed: “People have seen the images of packs of hounds getting into private back gardens, killing cats, ripping flocks apart. There’s not a majority in any part of the country that wants to see that continue.”
He added: “But there are loopholes in it, drag hunting, for instance, that allow hunting to continue, and foxes – and indeed domestic cats and other mammals – are still getting killed as a result of those loopholes, and we will close those loopholes.”
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Farmed animals and companion animals can also fall foul of foxhounds. Photo © Dhoxax via Getty Images
Pro-hunting
The pro-hunting organisation the Countryside Alliance, which campaigns to legalise the killing of wild animals, wants to see the Act overturned.
Its chief executive Tim Bonner said the Alliance would oppose any new restrictions.
“It is utterly bizarre that Labour is still making hunting its priority in the countryside,” he said. Rural people are desperately concerned about affordable housing, access to services, agricultural transition and a thousand other more important issues, yet Labour wants to return to fight the culture war of 20 years ago.
“Ultimately, the countryside doesn’t want to have to have a fight over hunting again, but it will not sit back and allow itself to be bullied and become victim to a toxic culture war.”
Learn more about the Hunting Act with our feature on hunting with dogs
Featured photo © Peter Clayton Photography via Getty Images
