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.
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WWW Supportfoxhunting.co.uk
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Have you seen these pages?
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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.
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Quotes
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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.
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| Boxing Day Hunts 2003 - 26 December 2003 |
A record 275,000 people have turned out to support the 350 boxing day hunts taking place across the UK - only 21 hunts were met by protests.
 Attendance at hunts is thought to be up by at least 10pc on last years meetings - despite poor weather in some areas.
The biggest meeting is thought to be at Cirencester Park for the meet of the Vale of the White Horse, where over 6000 turned out to show their support.
The record attendances mirror an increase in the number of new followers, particularly young people, who have been hunting this year. Over 3000 people started hunting during 'National Newcomers Week' - a special week of promotional activity in October.
Simon Hart, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance said: "The unprecedented crowds at today's Boxing Day fixtures are a clear indication that hunting has a place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, from town and country alike. It is a proper reflection of solidarity and resolve, not only from the hunting community but also from the many thousands of people who support the freedom to hunt.
These massive crowds... suggest that hunting is in good spirits and prepared for whatever challenges may lie ahead."
Protests
One of the biggest protests organised by the League Against Cruel Sports was at Lach Dennis near Northwich, for the meeting of the Cheshire Forest Hunt, where some 30 protestors turned out.
Speaking to the BBC Dr Jane Evans, 35, a scientist from Cheshire, and a spokeswoman for the League against Cruel Sports, said she was protesting on moral and environmental grounds. "There is no justification to the protracted pursuit of British wild mammals in the name of sport and for pleasure. The arguments for pest control are ecologically unsound and cannot be used to justify brutality."
But the hunt's master-in-charge, Richard de Prez, said: "Protesters have been saying that this will be our last hunt for the last six or seven years and we are still here."
Last year the biggest anti-hunt protest was organised by the League Against Cruel Sports at Winslow, Buckinghamshire - with over 40 protestors. Across the UK they were outnumbered by nearly 1000:1 by hunt supporters.
The largest demonstrations this year were in Sussex, Essex and around the Beaufort Hunt in Badminton, South Gloucestershire.
Government priority poll
Meanwhile, to coincide with the annual hunt meetings - the Countryside Alliance have published the results of an NOP poll commissioned by the pro-hunting group, showing that all of 2% of the population believe that banning hunting should be a government priority. The results reflect those of a similar poll in May this year.
As the Countryside Alliance put it, 'People who hunt are proud of their way of life and the enormous amount of good that it does – that is why they encourage people to join them, not just on Boxing Day but throughout the year. It’s not surprising that more people are hunting now than ever before.'
- In 2000 total annual attendance at all hunt meets was
1.28 million people and numbers have risen since.
42% are on horses and 58% are on foot.
- Hunts run nearly 200 point to point race meetings
every year.
- Hunting is supported by all the major land-use groups
and the majority of rural vets.
- Hunting supports 13,600 jobs and contributes £243.1
million annually to the rural economy.
- Hunting is critically important to the social and
cultural lives of many rural people.
- Hunting has played a significant role in forming the
British landscape, and continues to encourage
biodiversity within it.
HUNT LIST
For the full list of Boxing Day Hunts 2003, click here.
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