Dogged by fox-hunting

Press Association

Last December when MPs took part in free vote on the government's fox-hunting Bill, they could no doubt hear jeers outside the Commons from pro-hunt campaigners on the streets outside Westminster. Yet, regardless of the protests, the MPs gave, 373 votes by 158, in favour of the Bill's second reading in Parliment, which will take place in early 2001, and could see fox-hunting banned by the end of the year.

Many believe that this unprecedented plan to rush through a ban on the controversial sport suggests that ministers are anxious to see the bill come into affect, in the wake of the 2001 general election.

MPs will be presented with three options to choose from, when the is given its second reading in Parliment.

These options will be:

• Self-regulation of hunting through an independent supervisory body.
• A licensing regime to regulate hunting.
• A ban on all hunting with dogs, except in a few limited circumstances.

If the Commons decides to ban fox-hunting, which it is the expected to do, the debate will be passed on to the House of Lords, where members will have the opportunity to discuss the issue in detail.

Yet, it is a near-certainty that the Lords will challenge the Commons' decision to ban the sport. If this clash of opinion occurs, MPs will have the option of playing their trump card, which comes in the form of the Parliament Act. With this act the Commons could steamroller the bill into law.

In conjunction with a full ban on fox-hunting, the bill proposes a minimum penalty of 5,000 on individuals who breach the ban.

Yet, various pro-hunting groups, most notably the Countryside Alliance, have launched full-scale campaigns to save the sport, warning the government that a ban on fox-hunting would result in thousands of rural jobs losses and could have an adverse affect on the country's wildlife.

The organisation has also criticised the government's reluctance to offer compensation to members of the community who will be financially damaged by the ban.

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance said that the Bill, 'curtails a rural minority's civil liberty, with no benefits for the rural majority or for animal welfare.'

The government has also come under harsh criticism from other political parties, which say that the decision to place the hunting bill so early in the legislative timetable threatens to clog up the rest of the political programme, pushing issues such as the anti-crime and adoption bills to the sidelines.

A representative of the anti-hunting campaign, Douglas Batchelor said, 'Parliament has debated hunting many times before, but never with a government bill and a guarantee of parliamentary time.

'This is an historic opportunity to finally end this cruel and barbaric practice, which has no place in modern society.'

Do you agree with him Is fox-hunting a barbaric sport, or an essential part of the UK countryside Have your say. Click here to join our discussion.