Hunting is gaining in both support and popularity, according to a new survey. The Countryside Alliance questioned 61 hunts on their attendance levels as well as their levels of success, and found that many were seeing increased support as well as new members joining since the ban came into force in 2004.
They also found that fox and hare populations are falling where hunts are active.
Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Simon Hart commented: “The response of the rural community to the Hunting Act has been a lesson in how determination and decency can overcome prejudice. The aim of those who promoted a ban on hunting was to eliminate the structure of hunting and those who took part in it. This survey shows how dramatically they have failed.
“The only falls have been in the number of foxes and hares that this law allegedly sought to protect. Hunts have shown that they can survive under the current law until it is repealed. It is now time for all political parties to accept that the Hunting Act is bad law and commit to getting rid of it.”
