Hunt ban ‘ineffective in Midlands’

Figures obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information request indicate that there has only been one prosecution under the Hunting Act in the Midlands since the Act came into force in February 2005.

Furthermore, the request revealed that the single successful prosecution was for hare coursing, not fox hunting.

Though prime minister David Cameron has repeatedly reaffirmed his commitment to a free vote on the fox hunting ban, no such vote has yet been timetabled in Parliament – and there is little to suggest it will happen in this Parliamentary calendar.

Last year, the Countryside Alliance reported that 97 per cent of convictions under the Hunting Act related to poaching or other related activities that would have been illegal under previously existing laws.

It also said that only one person associated with a registered hunt was cautioned or fined under the Hunting Act in 2011, and that 12 police forces had not issued a single caution under the Hunting Act since 2005.

Photo credit: David Hill.

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