Opposition to foxhunting falls as anti-hunt campaign degenerates into farce
12 March, 1998
A new public opinion poll, conducted in the week following the Countryside March, shows there is no majority for making fox hunting a criminal offence. The poll, conducted by Research Studies of Great Britain between March 4 8, asked 'Do you think fox hunting should be made a criminal offence or not?' 43% of all respondents did not think foxhunting should be made a criminal offence, with 47% supporting the proposal and 10% responding 'don't know'. Significantly, when the results were analysed by region, the percentage opposing making foxhunters criminals was slightly higher in London, while in rural areas, fox hunting won support by a clear majority with 48% opposing the activity being made a criminal offence and only 39% supporting. Chief press officer of the Countryside Alliance, Janet George, said: "It is one thing to dislike foxhunting. It is a completely different thing to criminalise decent, law-abiding people as seen in London on March 1 for supporting a well-regulated activity that not only helps to manage the fox population and supports 15,900 jobs, but also provides enjoyment for several hundred thousand people. As Mr. Foster's Bill returns to the Commons on Friday, for its second day of Report, this poll indicates clearly that MPs have no mandate to ban hunting." The Government has made it clear that it has no interest in banning hunting, but the Worcester MP, Michael Foster, will attempt to rescue his chances tomorrow by moving an amendment to the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, which inserts a new offence of 'hunting a wild mammal with a dog'. His own bill was described as 'defective' by the Home Office Minister George Howarth during its Committee stage and has been substantially re-written. | |
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