THE reason why the authors of the Hunting Act did not quite ‘get it right’, to use James Barrington’s words (letters March 25, 2011), is that they underestimated the lengths to which some hunt supporters will go in their efforts to carry on hounding wild animals to death for sport.
Exemptions were included in the legislation with the intention of allowing other legitimate activities to continue unimpeded by this law. But it has become clear over time that some of these exemptions can be exploited by hunters desperate to thumb their noses at the ban.
It is quite common for legislation which is fundamentally sound to be revisited and tightened so there is no reason why the Hunting Act should be treated any differently. This would make the law stronger and easier to enforce. The hunting lobby respond by proposing their own ‘new law’, a Trojan Horse routine which relies on an inattentive audience.
One side needs to wake the sleeping giant. Which will it be?
G E PURSER
Clapton-on-the-Hill
Cheltenham
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