Mr Michael insisted no “sleight of hand was at work” and that the Government Bill would prevent the “wind full, prolonged ceremonial pursuit and inhumane slaughter of foxes for fun.”
The Government amendment to stop the hunting of fox cubs and digging foxes out of holes and hiding places with terriers could have prevented MP’s voting for an outright ban. I do not agree with this statement as I think that a ban on fox hunting is inevitable and will happen sooner or later, some people would prefer it to be later but I think that a ban on fox hunting will happen.
Andrew Gororge, a Liberal Democrat MP, said many members had felt under pressure to decide how to vote, and criticised the “implicit blackmail” in the Government procedural move. “One thing that is weighing heavily on us is the procedural pressure. It is acting like a shadow hanging over the chamber.” I feel that MP should be able to make the right decision with whatever pressures are liked with the vote. MP if they feel things are weighing them down or they can resist blackmail then they should give up the job of being an MP.
David Winnick, Labour MP for Walsall North, accused ministers of engaging in “blackmail” by suggesting that voting for the hunting to be outlawed could lose the whole bill. “ We should stick to our guns and have a total ban today,” he said.
The Tories accused the Government of creating a “Horlicks.” James Gary, the Tory frontbench MP for North Wiltshire, said the Bill was a “complete and utter muddle” and “unprincipled.”
In the 11 months since Scotland’s ban on fox hunting came into force, only one of the country’s 10 licensed hunts has disbanded. The other nine offer pest-control services to landowners and farmers, hunting foxes that damage or threaten livestock.
Alan Murray, of the Scottish Countryside Alliance, said: “The Dumfriesshire hunt is the only pack to disband but none of the other, which have all seen their numbers drop by about 50 per cent, meet in any formal sense.”
Since the legislation was passed more foxes have been killed than in the years before the ban.
Under exemptions, farmers can still invite huntsmen and hounds to haze foxes into paths of marksmen. The hounds are allowed to chase foxes into undergrowth.
Anyone found in breach of the legislation faces severe fines or six-month prison terms but there have been no convictions. I feel that if the ban in Scotland kills more foxes than before then is it really a good idea as it would put a lot of people out of work and the foxes will decrease more rapidly.
Sarah Dixon, the hunt groom, said:
“I’ve been here for seven years and I’ve always worked with horses and I go hunting and enjoy it. I am very worried that I could lose my job, my home, and my livelihood. People who make judgments about us talk a lot of nonsense they should come down here and see what it is really like for themselves.”
David Simpson, seed merchant, said:
“I sell horse feed to the Essex hunt and some of the food for the hounds. If the hunt goes, then point-to-point racing might not survive, people would no longer have a reason to keep horses and so I would lose up to 40 per cent of my business during the winter. That would be very bad for us and it would be a struggle for the business to survive.”
Adam Forbes, the farrier, said:
“About a third of our business is related to the Essex hunt and if the hunt went we would have to cut back because the work would just not be out there. My partner, who employed me first as an apprentice, and I would have to consider cutting back and we might have to lay off three lads we are training to carry on the business.”
Tom Quilter, farm manager, said:
“The hunt clears around 20 to 30 dead calves a year from the land that I manage, which they feed to the hounds. There’s no money changing hands because they get the feed and we get the land cleared. We can no longer bury the dead calves ourselves, so we would have to pay someone £45 a head to take them away.”
Rob Appleton, the veterinary surgeon, said:
“Up to 20 per cent of my work with horses involves the Essex foxhounds. If hunting went it would represent the loss of a major part of our practice. Hunting is a humane way of culling foxes because they either escape or die very quickly. When we don’t hunt, you see an awful lot of badly snared or shot foxes.”
I do agree that fox hunting should be banned, just for the way in which the foxes are killed but I was not aware how many people and livelihoods would be affected by the ban until carrying out this assignment.
Hunting by numbers
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£15.6m income earned by hunts
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£250m income generated by hunting, according to the Countryside Alliance.
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318 registered hound packs
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16 registered drag hunt packs
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1,280,00 people who attend meets last year
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1 average number of foxes killed per hunting day
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8,000 full-time jobs depending on hunting
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£8,000 average annual wage of a full-time hunt employee
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60% proportion of people in rural areas who oppose ban
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21,000 foxes killed by hunts every year
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217,00 number of foxes in pre season breading
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651,00 number during breading season
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£930 cost of each fox killed by a hunt
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£1000 cost of a day’s fox hunt
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31 minutes average length of the chase during a fox hunt
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6 miles covered by the average fox hunt
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£3,448 average annual amount spent in tack and riding clothes by horse-owning households
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45% proportion of hunt supporters who are women
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80% proportion of hunts with only white members
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3 hours average length of deer hunt
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1,000 number of deer culled each year to maintain a suitable population
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160 number of deer killed in hunts
My views on foxhunting:
Although some people feel that hunting with dogs is cruel, nasty and even savage, others are not affected by it. Many people have never seen a fox killed during a hunt, had they then they would feel differently about a ban on fox hunting. Having been told what hunting dogs are capable of, I think that it would be a good idea to chase the foxes into the sights of marksmen, but only if the marksmen killed them instantly, as some times the marksmen may wound the fox and not kill it, leaving it to die slowly, which is even more inhumane. A total ban is inevitable but I feel that it would not happen yet as it would effect too many communities, leading to job loses which would have a knock-on-effect on the community and others small businesses along with the tourism industry.
I believe from the wealth of information, gathered that a total ban on fox hunting would be effective. However, I do appreciate that others will feel differently.