The Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA) is dismayed at the Government’s underhand tactics to bring back foxhunting.

Despite over 80% of the British public supporting The Hunting Act and not wanting a return to foxhunting, David Cameron’s government still hoped to have a vote in the House of Commons to repeal the Act.  When it realised that it did not have the required majority to support a repeal of the Act, it resorted to underhand tactics to bring back foxhunting.

On budget day, a day when it was hoped that other news would go unnoticed, it announced that it was going to bring forward a statutory instrument to alter The Hunting Act to allow an unlimited number of dogs to flush out a fox rather than the current maximum of two dogs.  Presumably it hoped that only the pro-hunting MPs would be made aware of the vote and that it could slip this amendment through under the radar.

AIA is dismayed that the government should act in such an underhand way and try to deceive the public.  It is dismayed that, in a democratic country, the government should ignore the wishes of the majority of the British people and serve the vested interests of a minority of loud and powerful individuals.

Chasing and tearing apart our beautiful British wildlife for sport has no place in a compassionate society.  It never had a place in the teachings of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism or Sikhism and we now know, following Pope Francis’ new encyclical Laudato Si’, it certainly has no place in the teachings of the Catholic church.

With the Conservatives returned as a majority government, Britain now faces the prospect of a vote in parliament to repeal The Hunting Act, which was included in the Conservative manifesto.

Although 80% of the public and 70% of Conservative supporters support The Hunting Act, there could now be a majority of MPs in Parliament who would vote for repeal.

AIA will be supporting Blue Fox in fighting against a repeal of the Act and also in fighting against further badger culls, which are cruel and unscientific.

Lorraine Platt, founder of Blue Fox and Blue Badger said: ‘We have the same amount of anti hunting Tory MPs as last time but we are deprived of many anti-hunt Labour and Libdem MPs who massively lost their seats.  It is paramount that everyone tells their MPs, especially Conservative MPs, to support the ban and say no to repeal.  This is vital as we must secure new Tory MPs to support the ban.  It would be very helpful if people could write to the new Tory and 8 elected Libdem MPs.  There is little time to waste as we suspect a free vote may be offered soon before we can engage support from the new MPs on this issue.  We also want MPs to oppose the roll out of the badger cull as it is unscientific and inhumane’.

In March of this year Green MP Caroline Lucas called for the law to be strengthened and extended to other cruel sports.

Please write to MPs to support the ban and oppose the badger cull roll out.  Many MPs judge the importance an issue by the size of their mailbox.

News just in from Chris Fegan, AIA Political Education & Campaigns Director, about the Maltese Spring Hunt.

“I am delighted to tell you that the Maltese PM has today closed the Spring Hunting Season after a shot bird fell into a school playground.  The hunting season was nearly over but it shows clear political intent.

The Spring season is now closed a few days early, so many birds will live that would otherwise have died. Recent action by the Maltese Govt has shown strong political leadership by the Maltese PM following the Referendum result and, allied with the heavy sentences handed out by the courts in the last couple of weeks, has at least shown the hunters that they will be hit hard for illegal breaches of the Hunting season.

The big fight is now on to try and target the planned autumn hunting season and Catholic Concern for Animals and the Animal Interfaith Alliance will work with LACS to try andstop that from taking place.”