South: Country sports

Parliament is considering the future of hunting

Blood sports provoke strong reactions from the countryside and anti-hunting lobbies. The Politics Show looks at both sides of the debate as the hunting bill continues its journey through parliament.

Do you enjoy a nice roast pheasant for Sunday lunch? Or is it trout tonight, for a change? You'll enjoy eating it, but would you, could you, enjoy killing it?

Some people do. They call it country sports - shooting a pheasant, catching a trout, or a salmon - and taking it home to eat. But for how much longer?

Parliament has the knives out for hunting. MPs continue to press for an outright ban saying it's cruel to the fox. Opposition in the House of Lords is set to be overturned when the new hunting bill is decided later this year.

The pro-hunt lobby

The pro-hunt lobby are vehemently opposed to any ban on hunting, claiming it's an infringement of their rights. They argue that they're entitled to the right to pursue an age-old countryside tradition.

The Conservative MP for Arundel and the South Downs, Howard Flight, believes that country people are being treated as second class citizens.

He has opposed any ban on fox-hunting, firstly because of the cost to his mainly rural constituency, but also because of the way the government is limiting people's freedom to do what they want.

Oxfordshire's Heythrop Hunt rides out four times a week. With nearly 500 horses and 166 hounds, they reckon the hunt spends more than £2.5m in the local area every year.

They kill about 170 foxes. That's about £15,000 per fox. But they say the killing's not the point, they enjoy the chase.

Shooting and fishing

Countryside lobbyists believe that the new hunting bill could be the start of even more drastic measures.

They're concerned that shooting and fishing could be the next countryside sports to be banned if Tony Blair gets his preferred 'middle way' with licensed hunts.

Angling is one of the most popular sports in the south of England, and many in the fishing community claim their hobby is a form of farming.

At the Chalk Hill Springs Trout Farm we found anglers who prefer to kill and eat their fish, rather than throwing it back. They say it's farming, as well as sport, and the eating is the justification for what they do.

"Activist" approach

The RSPCA is opposed to shooting, but isn't seeking to have it banned. They accept that a 'clean kill' is the intention of those shooting for sport, but it is a fact that this does not always happen, and that therefore suffering does occur.

The new Director General of the RSPCA, Jackie Ballard, a former Liberal Democrat MP and vegan, wants her organisation to become more 'activist'.

Ballard believes that an 'activist' approach would help in the investigation of a wide range of animal abuse. Measures could include picketing battery egg farms, and investigating men who beat their wives to see whether they also abuse their pets.

But this approach is controversial and doesn't go down well with some traditional RSPCA supporters.

What do you think?

We'd like to hear your views on country sports. Do you agree that blood sports should be banned?

Do you support the Prime Minister's 'middle way'? Maybe you're a staunch supporter of hunting, shooting and fishing?

E-mail us with your thoughts below.

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