[arista]

Live Debate Ian Dale
LBC



Local Hunts are tradition.



[Animal welfare campaigners are calling
on ministers to keep to a pledge to
toughen anti-hunt laws, as figures
suggest illegal foxhunting remains
widespread in England and Wales.

Almost 20 years since the
Hunting Act 2004 was brought in by
Tony Blair’s government,
the League Against Cruel Sports (Lacs) – the animal
welfare charity that was the driving force
behind the original ban – says its
data evidences how stronger legislation is
required to close loopholes and prohibit
trail hunting, which campaigners say
has been used as a smokescreen for
illegal foxhunting.
Trail hunting is where dogs follow
an animal-based scent.

The figures, which were released in
advance of the hunts’ Boxing Day parades,
were collated by Lacs from August and
encompassed both the cub-hunting
season and the first six weeks of the
foxhunting season,
which started in November.
They reveal 186 reports
of foxes being pursued by hunts
and 220 reports relating to suspected
illegal hunting incidents.]


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...les-foxhunting