HuntingThe Hunting Act 2004 came into force at midnight on 17th February 2005. Our relentless campaigning has guaranteed that the Hunting Act is now widely acknowledged to be bad law. It is no accident that many political commentators, Chief Constables, senior civil servants and a majority of the public have taken this view. The Countryside Alliance has worked tirelessly to expose the law for what it is: hard to interpret and enforce, illiberal, bad for animal welfare and a waste of police resources. Thanks to our determined efforts when working with hunts that have been targeted, there have been only a handful of successful convictions. However, it cannot be right that a large section of law-abiding citizens continue to live in constant fear of malicious prosecutions. In 2010 one hunt received 47 visits from animal rights activists armed with video cameras, aiming for prosecution. It is a terrible and vivid illustration of why things cannot ‘be left as they are’. Our campaigning has ensured that hunting remains firmly on the political agenda and the Coalition Agreement includes a commitment to a free vote in this Parliament. We need to remain vigilant in future and spot every opportunity to move our cause forward.
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 Jim Barrington's new film: "Foxhunting: cruel sport or natural chase?"Tuesday, 18 June 2013 Countryside Alliance Executive Chairman Barney White-Spunner writes: Jim Barrington, our animal welfare consultant, presents a new film on hunting which should be prescribed viewing for those on both side of the argument.. The film, entitled "Foxhunting: cruel sport or natural chase," sees Jim present the case for hunting in a calm, factual manner, beginning by observing that despite the Hunting Act "this is an issue that has not been resolved". Read more Hunting girl wins Young Countryside Writer competitionWednesday, 5 June 2013 Georgie Archer, a 12 year old from Herefordshire, has been named the winner in the Countryside Alliance's inaugural Young Countryside Writer competition for her evocative article about a day's hunting. Georgie was chosen by judges Barney White-Spunner, Tracey Allen of Countrymans Weekly, Alastair Balmain of Shooting Times and Michael Clayton, hunting writer and former editor of Horse & Hound. Read on for Georgie's article. Her prize is to be our roving reporter at the CLA Game Fair and you will be able to read about her time there in our Autumn magazine. Read more "An Introduction to Fox Hunting" now availableTuesday, 7 May 2013 An Introduction to Fox Hunting is a 16-page document, designed to introduce the younger generation to hunting with hounds - and it is available now. Specifically focused at targeting the secondary school age range, the booklet covers a wide variety of topics including some facts about the fox as a species, a guide to a day’s hunting, some important hunting terms and a word search.  Jim Barrington blogs on the blurred lines of charitable statusWednesday, 29 May 2013 Our animal welfare consultant, Jim Barrington, has been prompted by the recent work of the RSPCA to blog on charitable status.  Hunts help to keep the air ambulances flyingFriday, 10 May 2013 Hunts raised more than £32,000 for air ambulance services across the UK last season. Twenty-eight packs raised cash for the valuable services, which are called out to hundreds of hunting and riding accidents each year. Read more The RSPCA, the Avon Vale & the tax payerThursday, 9 May 2013 Countryside Alliance Executive Chairman Barney White-Spunner writes: Another week, another spurious prosecution from the RSPCA, another long trial scheduled at great cost to the tax payer and then, surprise, surprise it all collapses. On Tuesday the RSPCA abandoned a high profile Hunting Act prosecution against the Avon Vale hunt on the first day of a scheduled seven-day trial. The charity had spent £50,000 bringing the private prosecution to Chippenham Magistrates Court, but the RSPCA backed down at the last moment dropping what District Judge Simon Cooper described as "not a strong case". Read more RSPCA private prosecution of Avon Vale thrown out of courtTuesday, 7 May 2013 The RSPCA has abandoned a high profile Hunting Act prosecution against the Avon Vale hunt on the first day of a scheduled seven-day trial.  15-16 June - Gloucestershire Festival of PoloThursday, 2 May 2013 The Gloucestershire Festival of Polo, hosted by the re-nowned Beaufort Polo Club over the 15th and 16th June, is a weekend certainly not to be missed. Impressive world-class polo, teamed with fantastic entertainment and a tented shopping village, it is guaranteed to be an exciting and sociable fun day for the whole family. On Saturday 15th June the impressive Audi England team will take on the talented team from South Africa, supported by Metropolitan, in the first of a three part Audi International Polo Series. Read more Concerns over Dangerous Dogs legislation & potential for theftTuesday, 23 April 2013 The Countryside Alliance has asked the government to limit the information available to be searched on the national databases of micro chipped dogs, to avoid it being used by dog thieves. Under new dangerous dogs legislation, from April 2016 all dogs in the UK need to be micro chipped and their owners’ details recorded. Read more Hound Shows in 2013Monday, 22 April 2013 The 2013 Hound Show calendar is as follows - many thanks to the Hunting Office for this information. Read more |
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