Celebrating five years of the Hunting ban

It is now five years since the Fox-Hunting Bill received Royal Assent, ending the cruel practice of hunting with dogs. In that time, dozens of prosecutions have been brought under the Act, showing that this ban is making a real difference.

And people want it too. According to the results of an Ipsos Mori poll last month, three quarters of people do not want hunting with dogs to be made legal again. And there is no evidence that the doom-laden predictions for rural communities that hunt campaigners made have materialised.

But the Hunting Act remains under threat because the Conservative party have made it clear they want to get rid of it as soon as possible.

David Lepper, Brighton Pavilion Labour and Co-operative MP, said:

"Brighton was ahead of the rest of the country in banning fox hunting. I remember as a new member of Brighton Borough Council in the early 1980s that we voted on a cross-party basis to ban hunting on land owned by the council - which, of course , included parts of the South Downs.

"Then five years ago this month, the ban on hunting with hounds became law. I was proud to vote for it when it went through the Commons. And I am proud that the Labour party helped to ban hunting with dogs.  Not only is the ban making a difference, but it also supported by the overwhelming majority of the British public.

"David Cameron spoke up for fox-hunting in his maiden speech, and I find it unbelievable that the Conservatives have pledged to make getting rid of the fox-hunting ban a priority if they were to win the next election. With all the challenges the world is currently facing, this just doesn't make sense. Some of us remember the deplorable actions of the pro-hunting extremists in the past such as dumping dead animals in busy Brighton shopping centre streets. We don't want that kind of thing happening again."

Hove & Portslade MP Celia Barlow said:

“I am really concerned that the Conservatives have pledged to make getting rid of the fox-hunting ban a priority if they were to win the next election, and I find this unbelievable with all the challenges the world is currently facing.  I am therefore urging the people of Hove and Portslade to sign the petition to help protect the ban at www.backtheban.com ."

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said:

"If you think the Tories have changed, this makes it absolutely clear that their priorities haven't. They know the public doesn't agree with them on this, but they are determined to go ahead if they are given the chance. That's why we need to continue to campaign to stop this barbaric ‘sport' from returning to our land."