The Support Hunting Association is one
of the UK's most prominent pro-hunting organisations, now incorporating
issues related to Game Shooting, Fox Hunting and Angling.
About Us
|
Full Contents
 |
| The
menus below contain the full contents of the site.
|
Search our site
|
| Search our site using Google. |
|
|
2007 Oakley
Hounds Calendar
|
 |
All profits from this calendar will be donated
equally to two local good causes. The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air
Ambulance and the Oakley Hounds. |
Have you seen these
pages?
|
| Police View
of a hunting ban - Two chief constables voice their concern on
a ban on hunting.
Timelines -On the current Hunting
Bill, the attempts to ban hunting, and on the ban in Scotland.
Hunting vs. Human
Rights - Parliament has advised that the Hunting Bill is incompatible
with the Human Rights Act. |
Quotes
|
The ban has guaranteed that the time and money invested by the League
Against Cruel Sports and the RSPCA has increased animal suffering.
We told them this would happen. This rise in suffering since the ban
is the cost of ignoring that warning!
Daily Telegraph
3 May 2005.
Numerous police officers accompanied the more than 250 hunts which
took place yesterday, the first day that the sport became illegal.
Despite the friendly exchanges between officers and huntsmen and women,
the presence of the police posed a question: what public good were
they trying to uphold?
Daily Telegraph
20 February 2005.
|
|
|
| Northern Ireland Coursing ban
- 11 March 2004 |
As soon as Northern Ireland's hare coursing
ban was introduced last year, the legal battle began. As we head towards
the outcome, we look back at the ban.
 |
| Angela Smith, MP
for Basildon |
When Northern Ireland's Environment Minister Angela Smith (and former
senior employee for the League Against Cruel Sports) announced plans
for legislation to ban all forms of hare hunting from the 1st January
2004, she pointed to the fall in numbers of the hare as the reason.
However, as the dogs are muzzled in Northern Ireland when coursing,
the number of hares killed is minimal, making the ban not only pointless
but also pointing towards prejudice as the real reason for it.
After imposing the ban, the Minister also said her department would
conduct a review of Northern Ireland's wildlife legislation with the
strong possibility of permanently banning all forms of hare hunting.
 |
| Hare Coursing -
in Northern Ireland the dogs must be muzzled. |
The Countryside Alliance has said that the ban on hunting will seriously
damage the conservation work needed to maintain the number of hares
in Northern Ireland.
In a press release they said "Northern Ireland's leading authorities
on Irish Hare conservation are on record as saying that well managed
country sports are an important conservation force and we are concerned
that the introduction of the Special Protection Order will have a
negative effect upon Irish Hare numbers.
The Minister claims that her action is necessary on conservation grounds,
despite the fact that there are no reliable estimates available for
Irish Hare numbers in Northern Ireland and there is also no evidence
to suggest that the population is currently declining. Leading conservations
in NI do not support the Minister's action."
| Hare
coursing ban timeline |
October 2003
Northern Ireland's Environment Minister Angela Smith (and
former LACS employee) announced plans for legislation
to ban all forms of hare hunting from the 1st January
2004.
1st January 2004
The temporary ban, for 12 months, came into force: all
hare coursing is banned. The ban can be renewed in December
2004 for next year at the minister's discretion.
15th
January 2004
The Countryside Alliance Ireland won the first round of
its legal battle against the ban.
2nd February
2004
The CA returned to court seeking leave to instigate further
legal action to prevent Northern Ireland's Minister for
Prejudice banning other forms of Irish Hare hunting.
May
2004
The next stage of the judicial review takes place in court
against the temporary ban. |
|
Countryside Alliance Ireland and their partners, Dungannon and District
Coursing Club, successfully sought leave for judicial review of the
minister's biased decisions in Belfast's High Court on Thursday 15th
January. They alleged that the minister acted on personal prejudice
by ignoring all the relevant scientific evidence and failed to follow
established democratic processes.
After the hearing, Ronan Gorman Chief Executive Countryside Alliance
Ireland said the hunting community was delighted that Mr. Justice
Girvan agreed former League Against Cruel Sports employee Angela Smith
had a case to answer.
The leaders of Northern Ireland's main political parties have expressed
concern and outrage at what Angela Smith is doing. Ian Paisley, David
Trimble, former Environment Ministers Dermot Nesbitt & Sam Foster
and other NI Assembly members from across the political divide, have
written to the Secretary of State, expressing their astonishment at
not having a proper consultation process. In their letters they made
the point that consultation documentation detailing evidence for the
proposal should have be issued by the Department and that this is
an issue best dealt with local politicians, who can deal with it in
an honest and impartial way.
On BBC's Countryfile on Sunday 7th March, the minister refused to
appear but said that the ban was necessary in conservation of the
hare, who's numbers are falling. However, also appearing on the programme,
a professor from Belfast University claimed that the coursing club
was responsible for improving conservation and helping the university
with their work.
The next stage of the judicial review is in May.
PLEASE NOTE
Significant sections of this text are from the Countryside Alliance
wbsite
|
Related
links
|
|
|
