Hunting with dogs is now illegal in England and Wales after a ban on the activity came into force on Friday.
Thousands of hunt supporters have vowed to continue, with the Countryside Alliance saying many hunts will be out in force over the weekend when they will try to keep within the law by drag hunting or shooting foxes.
Anti-hunt groups say the ban must be upheld and will be monitoring hunts, but are concerned that police forces may have difficulty enforcing the law.
Did you go hunting this weekend? Will it be difficult for the police to enforce the ban? Are you are hunt supporter or protester? Is hunting within legal limits as enjoyable?
This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.
The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we received:
What the British nation are failing to comprehend is that this debate is it is not solely about the killing of a fox, it is about heritage, livelihood and a rural way of life. Farmers and landowners do not want to be countryside caretakers making our island look pretty for townies and tourists. They have pride and get upset when their lives are interfered and under constant attack from an urban government. We are not blood thirsty demons but people who understand our fragile ecosystem and a system which has worked for centuries. People need to look at the real animal suffering that goes on, like the factory pigs and battery hens.
Gus Jones, Romsey, England
I did hunt yesterday be it trail hunting and will continue to hunt for as long as I am able to either sit on a horse or be taken in a car. The hunting bill was never brought in to protect the fox, stag or hare. The people that have banned us still do not like the hunting community and that is what we are a community so whether we hunt foxes or shot them it makes no difference to them. The welfare of the animal I afraid was not taken into account, if it was we would still be fox hunting. So no I do not welcome a ban whatsoever or ever likely too.
Sarah Mallam, Somerton, Somerset
It's good that the hunt ban has come into action because its just so cruel! Where I live there are hunts nearly every week and just seeing them on the fields behind my house makes me so angry. I believe it should be stopped altogether! Adults say I'm too young to understand as I'm only 13 but I do know that it is barbaric and it sickens me when I see a huntsman holding up a dead fox with a big grin on his face!
Megan Hilliard, Derbyshire
I'm a Terrier man. Legally I can continue to hunt rats with my dogs but not mice. I can enter a terrier to flush a fox to protect game birds but not livestock anymore. I can also use them to hunt rabbit but not hare - this law is a joke and it does nothing whatsoever for animal welfare. More foxes will die as a result of it than before when hunting with dogs was legal.
Michael W Cook, London, UK
Foxes are pests and need to be controlled. Independent research has shown that hunting with hounds is no more cruel than any other method and probably better than most. If you care about animal welfare (and I do) devote your attention to something more deserving than foxes, e.g battery hens.
Chris, London
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I recognize cruelty when I see it, therefore I welcome this ban
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I have no particular feelings towards foxes and I don't find them "cute", but I recognize cruelty when I see it, therefore I welcome this ban. I find it perplexing the way pro-hunters are trying to make the so called "animal lovers" feel bad by telling us how the new hunt ban won't help the animals, but more likely make them suffer even more. It just shows you have no respect whatsoever for other people or animals. Are you purposely determined to make foxes suffer even more now to prove that the "animal lovers" are wrong? Where are you coming from and what are you trying to prove?
Steve, Surrey
I am neither anti or pro hunting. I do not particularly like people dressing up to celebrate killing a fellow creature but I do respect the rights of farmers to protect their stock from what has always been considered vermin. I suspect that this new law is going to result in the virtual extermination of the fox in this country. Before this law, the fox had a good chance of avoiding death. It is known commonly as a "sporting chance". What is happening now and what will happen every week from now on is just pure slaughter. I sincerely hope that these so called animal lovers understand what they have done.
Steve Davis, Birmingham
Ironically, given traditional British love of liberty, no government in Europe could get away with such a draconian act. The end result: the hunts of France and Ireland, and other countries get a boost. I doubt if one single animal will in the end be saved, as people are more determined to hunt regularly than ever.
Chris Gillibrand, Brussels, Belgium
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Finally Britain becomes a civilized society
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This is one of the greatest days in British history. Finally Britain becomes a civilized society. Nobody has the right to take the life of another animal in the name of "sport".
Simon B, Cardiff
We banned hunting mountain lions in California about 15 years ago because it was cruel the way the dogs would chase them up a tree and the hunters would just shoot them. Animal rights groups put out a lot of horrible commercials with graphic videos. Now, the cats are overpopulating the countryside, wandering into the suburbs, attacking joggers and bike-riders, eating small dogs and, most frighteningly, lying-in-wait for toddlers who drift too far from their parents while hiking. I'm sure people have their hearts in the right place, but they are completely divorced from the reality of 'nature'.
Mary K., San Francisco, USA
This law is completely unenforceable and as such will only bring the whole legal/judicial system into disrepute.
David, London
I'm driven mad not by the extremists of the anti-hunt lobby, who are probably quite consistent in their views, but by the parliamentary majority who gave them the red carpet treatment. This "majority" go home to factory farmed dinners, day after day. This is hypocritical. Allow hunting again until you have banned factory farming and controlled industrial over-fishing. Then lets have the debate.
Mark Spalding, Newmarket, England
The ban is based on prejudice and class envy. Most hunting supporters are ordinary people not so called toffs. Hunting in the Lake District is the only practical form of fox control. Most of the terrain is totally unsuitable for shooting and with the free access of the fells for thousands of walkers and their dogs other methods are inappropriate. The sheep farmers here now have no protection. I saw a fox shot the other day - 3 shots over a period of 3-4 minutes - it was in agony trying to crawl away - hunting is far less cruel.
Neil Salisbury, Country
Here's a message for all hunt supporters! It's finished, you're a dying breed, now get over it and face facts. The ban is democratic, those fighting the ban are not. I've lived in the Shropshire countryside most of my life and have always opposed fox hunting (like a great deal of other people). So to hear the hunt supporters claiming to speak for rural people is a load of nonsense. Fox hunting the cockfighting of the 21st Century.
Matthew Jones, Auckland, NZ
This ban is a travesty. It is a breach of civil liberties and a poor attempt to win points politically. It has nothing whatsoever to do with so called cruelty to foxes, it is entirely politically motivated and another attempt to make England into a nanny state. We will fight the ban and we intend to win.
Dominique Hamblin, Newbury, England
I am totally in favour of the ban and whilst living in the country I get so annoyed at the way the "countryside alliance" seem to think that they speak for all of us. I have never understood how any pleasure can be gained from cruelty, either to wild or domestic animals. Yes it is a tradition that has been carried out for years, but so was bear baiting and otter hunting all of which, thank God have been banned and forgotten. If the so called pleasure of the hunt was the chase then let them get pleasure from chasing a drag.
Tony, Surrey
The question is do we welcome the ban, looking at the pictures in today's newspapers one may ask, what ban? The hunts don't look any different from how they did before this supposed "ban". I have no wish to go fox hunting, but for those who do, good on them for fighting back and making this prejudiced attempt to eliminate hunting look like a complete farce.
Kevin, Nottingham
I'm furious so much time and money is being wasted on this, and where is the extra for the police resources and court time to come from pray tell...and for a fox? Some of us have far more important issues we want our Government to deal with such as Education, law and order, The NHS, Immigration, but what does it do? When will the government deal with real issues that face ordinary people?
Liz, Glasgow, Scotland
Well done to the British Government on banning this "sport". To inflict unnecessary pain on any creature for the entertainment of others is wrong and I don't see how in this day and age people can argue otherwise. Just because it is a tradition does not make it right. I hope the government in this country does the same in the near future.
Jim, Dublin, Ireland
I think in this day and age hunting should not be allowed to go on. The ban is right. To chase any animal and then tear it apart is barbaric. These people who say it's traditional are the ones who say it was traditional to send children down the pit and not to give women the vote. In a hundred year's time people will look back and say "did we really allow that barbaric sport to go on."
Neville Gregory, Manchester, United Kingdom
This is not about hunting; it is about the slow descent into a police state. The government needs to stop banning things and concentrate on the economy, transport, environment, and catching real criminals. If this trend towards banning things continues there will be a real, very bloody, revolution.
Oliver Cook, Droitwich, UK
I'm sick of hearing that we live in a modern and civilised country, when the reality is that rapists, muggers, perverts, etc all get a slap on the wrists for doing truly unspeakable things to another human being. Tony Blair should keep his nose out of the countryside's business and sort the real problems out first! The real reason the government banned hunting is that they don't make any money out of it! Hunting will continue, and I shall fully support it.
Laura, Northampton
If the law is so easily flouted it must be strengthened. These people have no right whatsoever to go against the law. How dare they think they are above the law, they are not. And every effort must be made to ensure that these people obey the will of the law, not interpret it as they see fit. Their arrogance has made me more against hunting than any of the anti-hunting lobby.
David, Stockport , England
Yes I went out today. We killed two foxes. It was easy to stick to the law and kill 'by accident'.
Reuben Lingard, Lincoln
My grandfather was a huntsman and it is right that hunting fades out with his generation. We need to make progress in all cases of animal welfare, on land and in the sea.
Ginny Battson, Hay-on-Wye
Hounding an animal to death is so obviously cruel that only the cruel would defend it.
Ursula Griffin, Turiff, Aberdeenshire
I attended the Cheshire Forest hunt today, to show my support to the hunting fraternity. This is more than just an issue of hunting with dogs. If the government forces through legislation without going through the House of Lords and House of Commons, what is to stop them from implementing any law they wish? We are supposed to be a democratic society, but actions such as this make us no better than the former communist rule of Eastern Europe.
Gary Thomas, Cheadle, Cheshire
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It's over guys, learn to lose gracefully
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Ah yes, that breed of Englishmen who say they love democracy etc but only as long as they can continue to do as they wish and to hell with the majority. It's over guys, learn to lose gracefully and get on with your lives, just as the bear-baiters, whalers and witch-drowners had to do. And as for the police, please do your job and uphold the law.
Al, UK
I hate the stinking animals, what is the point of a fox? Can anyone say what is so great about them? That we have to waste so much time talking and debating about this, like rats they should all be wiped out. Oh of course they look so cute don't they?
V, East London
To V from East London - what's the point of you? Do you have a greater right to live than a fox? Take your time... think about it.
Dale, UK
One fox will kill hundreds of animals in its lifetime do they not count?
Roy Yates, London, Ont, Canada
After reading through some of the responses, I've learned a few things about the destructive nature of the hunt - what happens to dogs that are too old, blatant disrespect for damaged properties such as people's gardens, how the foxes are killed... Why not find the most humane way to control the fox population and apply it?
Mid, Windsor, Canada
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It's not for reasons of animal welfare, as foxes can still be killed
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This ban is ridiculous. It's not been introduced for reasons of animal welfare, as foxes can still be killed. We don't tell people in the city how to run the tube, so why is the government telling us how to run our lives in the country? They have NO IDEA.
Lucy Scott Paul, Masham, North Yorkshire
What is the point of making a law that is going to be disobeyed anyway? It does not affect me and foxes are just good looking pests, which is why people care for them more than rats for example. Foxes must be controlled. Why not make it fun?
Colin Young, Bristol, UK
What you call hunt, I call wildlife management. People who hunt should pay fees like in the States which cover the cost of all government land, parks and wildlife rangers. This can be closely monitored to allow the balance of a healthy wildlife population that all can enjoy, fox hunters and bird watchers alike. You can't use dogs to chase a fox? But you can still shoot one or run it over in your 4x4? The UK should be ashamed for its hypocrisy.
Peter Logan, UK
Animals are not there for "sport" and entertainment, they are sentient creatures like us and deserve our compassion. Might does not make it right!
Mark Saunders, Hornsea, UK
Yes. How many times can you have a topic on this? People have the right to do as they wish unless it causes unnecessary suffering to other living things. This blatantly does. End of story.
Karen, England
I hunt regularly with my pony, and am very sad, and angry about the ban. Fox hunting is not cruel at all. Shooting a fox may not kill the fox outright, it could go off and suffer, maybe taking days to die a slow and agonizing death. Fox hunting with hounds however, the death is over in one bite. I hope that all anti hunters are vegans! Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense that they are happy to eat meat and eggs from battery hens, and wear leather etc, but find hunting foxes cruel!
Jemima Willard, Sevenoaks, Kent
I have been hunting for many years, I started when I was about 10, now at 31 I have kids of my own, so why can't my kids have the up-bringing I had? They love hunting like I did, they take care of the dogs with me and hunt with me, now I have to tell them they can't come anymore, and I may have to tell them that the dogs we have will have to be put down. I don't think so, I'll be out hunting on Saturday and Sunday, and to be honest, I will never stop no matter what.
Darren Mehegan, Merthyr Tydfil
To Darren Mehegan: your kids can't have the same upbringing you had because it's cruel and barbaric - what's so hard to understand?
David, Edinburgh
Darren Mehegan's comment about having 'to put his hunting dogs down' is the most childish and cruel statement I have ever read. I'm sure, if you made the effort, that there would be dozens of families who would be more than happy to take one off your hands if you advertised.
Nik, Charlesworth, Derbyshire, UK
Yet another political victory for the tree-hugging Guardanistas. As for Nik from Derbyshire - hounds bred to hunt don't make suitable pets. If this law is enforced hundreds of dogs will have to be put down just to save a few foxes lives. What a joke.
Andy, Watford
Rehoming hounds? - There is little chance of success: They are mature dogs and so will not be easily retrainable. They are not housetrained. They are used to running free up to 50 miles two or three times a week. They would not be happy in a house with an average sized garden and a walk round the park twice a day. They are accustomed to crossing the countryside by leaping gates and high fences, scrambling through gaps in hedges, and by swimming streams. It would be very difficult to keep them enclosed.
They are bred with the hunting instinct very highly developed. They will want to escape any confinement in order to hunt. Few are used to a collar and leash. They are used to living in a pack and may not mix easily with other pet dogs. If a hound escapes and causes an accident on the road, the keeper of that hound will be liable and could be both prosecuted and also sued in the civil courts. I am desperately sad and angry at this unjust and wrong ban.
Angela Bidlake, Dulverton
You often hear bloodsport supporters going on about how the ban will mean lots of hunting dogs having put down. What they 'forget' to mention is that hunting dogs are actually all put down at a very young age anyway. This is because their 'training' makes them too aggressive and too much of a handful for their keepers once the poor dogs reach adulthood. It's about time hunters realise that rest of the population aren't just ignorant 'townies' who don't understand the ways of country folk. We understand you all too well, which is exactly why the ban has brought in on an overwhelming parliamentary majority.
Ashley, Ware, Hertfordshire
A fox doesn't get injured when it meets a pack of hounds. Foxes get injured when they are run over, shot or snared.
Richard Hull, Cheltenham
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A hotel owner can lose his licence for killing a rat
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It is known all over the world that the UK are animal lovers. I was told on my last trip to London that a hotel owner can lose his licence for killing a rat. So I can't understand why this wasn't banned 100 years ago. This isn't a sport, it's just plain cruelty. If these jokers in the red jackets feel the need for a hunt let them have one, just change the rules a bit. I suggest they trade in their horses and dogs for a pair of good track shoes, then chase each other around a field with cricket bats until there is only one hunt member standing. Now that would be sport.
Dan, Flinton, Canada
Why don't we kick hedgehogs as footballs, shoot arrows at barn owls and knock birds eggs down small holes in the ground? Sounds absurd, but these could be viable country pursuits if it wasn't for good sense and feeling hearts. These people should be looking to preserve the beauty of our wildlife not destroy it for the sake of their sport. We should be care takers not life takers. I do wonder how the RSPCA will look to enforcing this ban?
Maxine Taylor, Grimsby UK
Foxes are sensitive animals who have a rich emotional life. It is extremely distressing for them to be chased around by a pack of dogs and then torn apart by them. The Countryside Alliance complain about losing their livelihoods, but nobody has the right to keep the same job for life in the modern world. They simply have to apply for different work the same as everybody else. As for foxes being a pest, nobody seriously believes that hunts control foxes. Hunting is not the cruellest thing we do to animals but it shows a barbaric attitude.
Roz Raha, Great Cambourne, England
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The way we treat animals dictates how we treat each other
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The way we treat animals dictates how we treat each other. To continue to do what we have always done simply because it has historic origins is a poor argument and one which holds no significance in the face of animal suffering. The worry now is how these hunting enthusiasts choose to part company with their working dogs. Considering how little they care for other animals, I worry for the fate of the hounds.
Jane Williams, Cheshire
This is a very sad day. Not only has a great British tradition gone, but the prejudice had prevailed. Hunting will become a back and forth issue depending on which party is in power.
Helen Liversidge, Reading, UK
As I see it the ban is wholly unjustified. If it is still legal to kill a fox with a pair of dogs why not a pack. The enjoyment people get out of hunting is perfectly valid as it is an additional feature. It is not the killing of the fox that people revel in rather the ride across country. Why shouldn't the two be combined? This is an attack on a misconception of hunters as unfeeling people. The fox needs to be killed why not kill it whilst having fun.
Sam Allan, Canterbury UK
Hunting with a pack of dogs is cruel. Whether the animal being hunted is a deer, badger, otter or fox. If the fox is such a nuisance, and is not being killed for fun, why were some hunts breeding foxes? Even wild animals that are a nuisance to humans should be destroyed as humanely as possible. Also, the idea that those who are against fox hunting are really just trying to bring down superior "toffs" is sad. It is about cruelty and nothing else. The obvious lack of compassion of those who profess to understand country ways, and who believe that killing for fun is their right, really is depressing.
Joe, Ealing, UK
Having grown up in the country and seen the disrespect with which the hunters treat people's land and property, I for one think this alone is a reason to ban it. The hounds are allowed to go where they please terrorising domestic animals. The reason people are willing to still do it, even if it breaks the law, is not because it keeps the fox population down, it is because they enjoy it. If they are worried about the number of foxes, they would find another way to deal with the problem.
Joe Copping, Tunbridge Wells
I am an ex-townie living in the countryside. I do not follow the hunts, but at the same time I respect the right of the hunts to follow their own traditions. Why must we respect the traditions of immigrants that are changing the shape of this country, but then ban traditions of hundreds of years.
Paul, Herts, UK
Hurray for the ban!! I am indeed a townie, but my fiancé has deep roots in the countryside, coming from the West Country. He's with me and totally opposes the ban! It's not a sport - it's just sick, and taking children along to 'enjoy the thrill of the chase' I find especially perverted. As for 'tradition' (as someone has already, quite rightly said) "It was once tradition to send young children down mines to work"... Traditions that have been outlawed, have been done so for a reason!!
AR, West Midlands
The hunting community is a strong one, and one not unused to adversity. If we find an obstacle in our way we get over it, if we fall off then we get straight back on, we brave all the weather God throws at us, and moreover we like nothing more than a challenge. What makes Blair think that we're going to change the way we live now - he's created a law that he doesn't even know how to enforce. This law is unjust and unworkable, it is only temporary, and we will carry on until we win back our freedom.
Lucy Bromley Gardner, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
People who support a total ban on fox hunting should come and see what a sheep looks like after a fox has attacked it, or a chicken coup looks like without any chickens. Hunting is vital to protect livestock, though I agree with the ban on using dogs. It should be quick and painless, but necessary nonetheless.
Tim, UK
Since this argument is represented as the province of "country folks": I live in the country, and have previously suffered a local hunt riding through our garden in pursuit of their quarry (with no apology). I am delighted to hear that hunting with hounds is now illegal. I find it hard to believe that the most efficient and kindly means of eradicating an animal the size of a dog, involves numerous horses, riders and a pack of dogs. I understand that this is a tradition, but so were burning witches and public executions, but we have recognised that they are wrong and moved on.
Peter, Botley
I am a hunter and am truly saddened that it has come to this. Ironically hunting has been banned due to a class issue when it's is the only sport or occupation that crosses all the boundaries of age and class by bringing everyone together on equal terms. Foxes will suffer considerably more as a consequence of this ban.
Emily, Gloucestershire
Another case of government trying to please everyone. The ban and the law in it's current form is ridiculous. Either ban hunting (all forms of hunting) properly, or allow it. To allow foxes to be chased all day and then shot is no different to setting the pack of dogs on them.
Ian, UK
This ban is wrong. The evidence is there to see - no animal will benefit. Foxhounds can only drag hunt if they follow a fox, which means either literally dragging a bred fox on a lead, or killing the fox first and dragging it's carcass. Both will be legal. And this is not cruel? Hounds kill selectively, rarely, and instantly. The state of the fox after death is irrelevant. It is not nice, no, but then it is not the reason people go hunting. I belong to a wonderful hunting community who cannot believe this victimisation. If you cannot understand the appeal then fine, but that does not give you the right to dictate to us, who do. And I am not bloodthirsty.
Craig, Shrewsbury, Shrops
How many riders with the hunts are actually out there to protect their own stock (chickens, sheep, etc)? If hunting with dogs is an acceptable pastime why not show on TV the actual kill? Please remember the Countryside Alliance does not speak on behalf of everyone in the country.
Larry, Devon
What a sad day for the countryside and the people that live in it and look after it. Townies have decided the future of how our countryside will be run. Hunting, I feel, isn't cruel, rather necessary. The damage that foxes inflict is unreal. I certainly hope that this ban doesn't last very long.
Laura, Newport, Shrops
I have no strong feelings about fox hunting. But this law will also make hare coursing illegal and I am totally in favour of that. In this area farmers are frequently intimidated and threatened by illegal coursers who trespass on land, and the argument that pro-fox hunters use regarding the fox as vermin and a killer of chickens for fun can hardly be used to justify hare coursing. This law will offer protection not just for hares, but to farmers who do not wish coursing to take place on their land but have been largely powerless to prevent it.
Sally, Lincolnshire
OK, so fox hunting is now banned. Now how about the government banning those so-called animal activists from harassing entire communities because someone living there works at an animal research facility. Yet again its one rule for one, and one rule for another.
Ron, London
To those who say "meat eaters are hypocrites", I would say that yes, I do eat meat - but I don't eat meat that has been chased across fields and then torn to pieces by a pack of dogs. To those who say "it's tradition", why does that make a difference? It was once traditional to send young children down mines to work or use them as chimney sweeps - perhaps society has evolved a bit?
Muzzy, Edinburgh, Scotland
I, being a farmer, have just applied to Devon and Cornwall police for a firearms licence, because with no hunting I will have to control the deer myself. I will cull as many deer as necessary to prevent the damage I put up with at the moment.
Adam, Devon
What a great day for democracy! The hunt supporters moan that the ban isn't democratic, but we had a democratic election in this country, and the ban was achieved democratically, in spite of the attempts to thwart it by the unelected House of Lords. There is no place for cruelty in this country, and no-one has the 'right' to inflict cruelty on defenceless animals just to satisfy their own perverted sense of fun!
Stewart, West Sussex, U.K.
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This is a very sad day for the countryside
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This is all over animal rights, right? What happened to human rights? How come town people in the middle of London can force through a ban that affects mainly country people? This is a very sad day for the countryside. If they really think that this ban is a good idea and makes the countryside a more happier place I think they need to think again!
Rachel, Wales
Traffic on Cumbria's main east-west artery, the A66, was stopped for half an hour yesterday while a loose pack of hounds ambled about looking for a scent before taking off through a couple of flocks of sheep heavy with lamb. More lambs are lost like this to fox hounds than to foxes, and complaints are often met with threats to "uphold the country way of life" or else. Last hunt? Good.
Colin, Cumbria
Perhaps the people who say they "enjoy the trill of a hunt", should be chased for miles by packs of dogs to see if they like it or not. To say hunting is a sport is complete rubbish. Every report I saw yesterday on TV, didn't mention anything about it being a sport, just that it would be too expensive to stop - basically it all boils down to money!
CJ, Kent
Any chance that the anti-hunting lobby will turn their attention and energy to child killers and murderers? Perhaps do something useful for society?
Phil, UK
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I feel it is quite inappropriate for people to be taking pleasure from the torture of animals
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I am firmly behind the hunting ban. I feel it is quite inappropriate for people to be taking pleasure from the torture of animals in this day and age. With respect to the enforcement of such a ban it is not the framing of any law that makes it difficult. If those who are intent on breaking the ban accepted their responsibility to the law in our democratic society, enforcement would not be an issue.
Steve, Walsall, England
I am in two minds about the ban. I believe that fox hunting is just one more way for humans to emphasise our power over other living organisms. However, I also feel that the amount of time spent on such a pathetic subject in the House of Commons is shocking and that more emphasis should be put on environmental issues than animal welfare.
James, Hertfordshire
My answer to this question must be yes - it is imperative that these new laws are implemented and that offenders of the new law must be prosecuted by the law. I realise that it will be difficult to implement this law, but I'm afraid to say that it's about time this was done!
Guy Taylor, Crawley, West Sussex
I grew up and live in the country. It is deeply offensive to see the so-called 'Countryside Alliance' claiming that the activities of the people who torment foxes for pleasure are supported by peaceful people such as myself. The decision to ban fox hunting has made me change the habit of a lifetime - I shall vote Labour in May, for the first time.
Paul Cresswell, Kineton, Warwickshire
I don't welcome the ban, purely because I don't feel it's the role of the government to interfere in the private lives of individuals in this way. It is, however, above and beyond me how people can derive pleasure from this particular sport.
David, Northampton, United Kingdom
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Good riddance to this cruel 'sport'
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At a few minutes past midnight I would like to say good riddance to this cruel 'sport'. I hope that anybody who continues to try and gain enjoyment out of blatant suffering is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Adrian, Lincolnshire
Well what can we ban next? Ploughing fields because it kills worms? Or fishing with hooks? Country has gone soft. Can you see Spain putting a total ban on bull fighting? What a joke. Blair has lost his direction.
Stevenson, Antwerpen, Belgium
I have been sad to see the various news programs showing the pretty side of hunting over the last few days, not one has show the terrible scenes of hares being ripped to pieces at Altcar or foxes being savaged - the public are not seeing the truth.
M Wildy, Liverpool, Merseyside
Hunting a fox, it either lives or dies. Inevitably, the weak and old are more likely to be culled. It is the closest to nature. Hunting respects the breeding season. Now, more foxes will suffer and die, but will the politicians who brought this unjust law even notice, let alone care?
Amanda Freeman, Hindon, Wiltshire
If pro-hunt supporters, the Countryside Alliance et al, consider fox hunting a sport, how do they justify or even defend the act of chasing a fox into a hole (I suggest in that case the fox has 'won' - leave it alone!) and continuing to dig it out with shovels for the dogs to tear it apart. Sports usually take part between two, or more, willing parties. Foxes certainly look unwilling to me. All arguments to carry on hunting are weak; calling it 'tradition' and a 'nice day out' is farcical. Saying cars kill more foxes that hunts is a pathetic argument. When I step into my car it is not with the aim of savagely killing a fox. I wholeheartedly support this well overdue ban.
Steven Ward, Cambs
No I don't welcome it, more foxes will be killed as a result by using the hounds to drive foxes to waiting shooters and from what I've personally seen tend to maim than execute a clear despatch. I fail to see the justification for a ban and will still support the hunts in my area.
Neville George, Frodsham, Cheshire
Fox hunting has now, thankfully, been consigned to history; to join similar barbaric "sports" of the past, such as otter hunting, badger baiting, dog fighting, and cock fighting. The only objection I have to the ban is that it came a few hundred years too late.
Paul Wilkins, Liverpool
I do not support the hunting ban. I went hunting the other day having not been for years, the meet was in our village - I had to go. It was a fabulous day out - but sadly the antis were in force. I wonder if they have any idea how they ruined our day - not so much the catch, but a peaceful day out in the country watching the hounds work. I also learnt that they got paid for it!!
Caroline Fooks, Woodbridge, Suffolk
I'm afraid this new law will only pay lip service to the anti-hunt brigade. The police have neither the resources, nor the political will to enforce it, unless they are absolutely forced to do so. This will be just another un-enforced law like the use of mobile phones while driving.
Sue Woollard, Westcliff-on-Sea
The hunters cry 'class war!'. Rubbish! All the working-class blood sports were banned years ago (dog/cock fights; bear-baiting, etc) for the simple reason that they constituted nothing more than mindless violence towards the helpless. Hunting is no different, and the paltry number of jobs that will be lost is laughable when compared to job cuts in any other area of employment.
Rich, Hants, UK
I certainly do welcome the ban. I grew up in the countryside and have always been firmly opposed to hunting. I'm just sickened by the fact that so many people plan to ignore the law. I'm sure quite a few people wish that mugging old ladies wasn't illegal but unfortunately for them it is. Hunt supporters should deal with the fact that the ban is now law.
Allie, London
European pub opening hours and a ban on fox hunting. I hate to say it, but the government has done some good things after all.
Dave, Cambridge, UK
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We are a nation of hypocrites
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We are a nation of hypocrites. If we truly had animal welfare at heart, we would not eat chicken in such quantities, given the incredibly cruel conditions they are raised in. If all the carnivores shut up there would not be a majority in favour of a ban.
Jason, Somerset
I live in the country, and didn't even know they did any fox hunting near me. That's how hidden and how little it affects people. It doesn't do any harm, there are more pressing issues like climate change which people should be thinking about.
Marc, Reading, UK
Foxes are a problem in the countryside, and being against animal cruelty myself, I accept this fact. I believe that the hunters should be able to ride their horses and go looking for them but the foxes should be shot quickly and not put through cruel behaviour. I do not believe the hounds should be able to go with them though because it makes it impossible to police. Plus it would make it harder for those horrible people who say they will break the law anyway. We live in a society that has decided hunting's fate. They need to grow up, lick their wounds and move on.
Zoe Stott, Aberdeen
I don't think that fox hunting should be banned as it is part of the way of life of farmers, it is like taking away the option of using the bus service for people who do everyday. Fox hunting is good as it stops infection spreading to animals from the foxes and you would have lots of people moaning if there was no meat for them to eat.
Gemma Ferris, Portsmouth, Hampshire
Yes I support a ban on hunting! We have a contradictory attitude to animal welfare - it is illegal to mistreat a Labrador, but (today) it is legal to chase a fox for miles, and then rip it to shreds. Of course you may say a Labrador is a domestic animal, but the point is - they are both animals and they both feel pain.
Rik Black, Chippenham, UK
As reported on the BBC website yesterday, the latest MORI survey suggests that 47% of the UK population support a ban. Whilst that is high it is clearly not a majority and therefore, following the logic that the anti-hunt brigade have been using up until now, the ban should not come into force. Do the anti-hunt lobby agree with this or do they only use the public opinion argument when it is in their favour?
Matt F (not pro or anti hunting), Bristol, UK
What's wrong with these hunting people? They should accept that the majority of people in the UK view their so-called hobby as unacceptable and obey the new law. They say their way of life is being compromised - really?!! My heart bleeds for them, not.
S Orr, Edinburgh, Scotland
I have ridden horses since a very young age and I am delighted that the ban is being imposed. I have long watched hunts depart from my own yard and always considered them unnecessary and cruel. Please let hunt supporters respect the democracy they live in, and the laws imposed by it.
Clare, Guildford, UK
Although I do not hunt I do not welcome the ban, and I was appalled by the hypocrisy of the LACS spokesman I heard on the radio yesterday. To say piously that he hopes the pro-hunt lobby won't waste police time (by continuing with any form of hunting activity), when hunts never needed a police presence before the violent and intimidatory tactics of the hunt saboteurs made it necessary - well, it just beggars belief.
LB, UK
Yes I do! This "tradition" is barbaric! For pro-hunters to say that "fox hunting has been around for hundreds of years and is part of our culture", well I say, so was slavery!
Sean, Northampton
Since the ban was imposed in Scotland, six times more foxes are being killed in the course of a hunting season by the gun packs. This legislation will destroy more foxes than are currently killed by hunting, as well as destroying the livelihoods of thousands. Will the electorate of this country only be happy once all freedom of choice is removed and we live in a world of bubble-wrap?
Ben Brown, Cirencester, England
At the end of the day fox hunting, or any blood sport for that matter, is absolutely barbaric and should be banned. If my dog was to savagely attack another animal or a child then it would be destroyed. I don't see why fox hunters should get away with this on the argument of it being their livelihood, tradition or 'nature's intentions'. Firstly these hunts are organised at certain days of the year which from my understanding means there is no immediate threat of any foxes, otherwise they would take place only on the request of a farmer. Secondly, I fail to see how a fox can do as much damage as 20 horses and 40 dogs. Thirdly, it is not nature's intention, Beagle puppies are bred for fox hunters, and in some areas so are the foxes that they aim to catch. As someone who is normally very anti-Labour (and does actually live in the countryside) I have to commend them on one. It's the best thing I think they've come up with so far.
Amy, UK
I was brought up in the country and hunt as, and when, I can. I was brought up with hunting, it's a way of country life and of culling foxes and deer. Meddling city, labourites should mind their own business, what harm are the hunting folk doing?
Katie Green, London
I welcome the hunting ban, but believe that it will be difficult for police to enforce. Just like bear-baiting, badger-baiting and cock-fighting, hunting with hounds is a sport where people take pleasure from the pain and suffering, and sometimes death of a living creature. It has no place in any society that wishes to call itself civilised.
Barry, London, UK
I don't particularly like the killing of animals in any way, but I know it has to be done for various reasons. Hunting this way is purely a sport and should be stopped. On the news this weekend was the hare chasing event. The fact that people turned up simply to watch a hare being chased and mauled by dogs shows that these people are sick and just want to watch, not keep the animals under control like they keep telling us.
Lianne, Cannock, UK
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This ban is based on nothing but prejudice
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Everyone who wants to ban hunting and yet still eats meat should take a long hard look in the mirror. If the anti-hunt lobby really wanted to make a difference to animal welfare they would try to save the millions of factory farmed animals that are killed every year in the UK. This ban is based on nothing but prejudice. Tony Blair should be ashamed.
Louise, Hampshire
At last! Don't let them give you any sob stories about the hounds either - they kill them in droves anyway after a couple of years, have you ever seen a retired hound? And if it's their livelihood, how come they survive every summer without hunting?
p. Anderson, Southampton, UK
I shall, and will, continue to hunt. I find that this ban is against human rights and undemocratic. As for police intelligence, I have six horses, all very different, if I clip all their hair off (not cruel, involves shaving their hair off to prevent chills when they get sweaty!!) they look very different, as too do I when kitted out in different clothing, also if I am out riding who's to say I am hunting or riding across country?? Oh, and by the way, they are all ex-racehorses, catch me if you can...
Anon, Newport, South Wales
Yes, absolutely. This form of hunting is an historic anachronism that should already have gone the way of bear baiting and dog fighting. And the business and social aspects can be continued in the form of drag hunting - so where is the problem? Civil liberties is such a red herring here.
Katherine, London, UK
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Cull foxes, sure, but don't use it as an excuse to satiate your bloodlust
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I didn't care one way or the other about this, till the other week, when I had the misfortune to drive through an area where a hunt was in progress. Seeing the sheer amount of dogs used and how powerful each one of them was made it crystal clear this 'sport' has no place in civilised society. Cull foxes, sure, but don't use it as an excuse to satiate your bloodlust.
Rich, Coventry, UK
The ban is a waste of parliament and police time and resources. Not one fox, hare or stag will benefit from it. The bludgeoning of parliamentary process used to pass the ban was a scandal and an abuse of parliamentary procedure. The whole thing is a shambles.
Laetitia Glossop, London
I was stunned to read a quote from a member of the Countryside Alliance declaring that hunts would continue regardless of the ban because it was "unenforceable". This does not change the fact that it is now against the law. The crime of murder is not something the police can completely prevent either, but that does not make it right to disregard the law that prohibits it. The Alliance challenged the ban in court and lost. An attitude of "we're going to do it anyway" undermines what little credibility they had to begin with.
Mike, UK
People need to take a step back from this and look at the bigger picture. The people that are quick to pass judgement and rule out hunting with dogs as barbaric should think of the consequences. What's more barbaric, hunting animals that have lived in their natural habitat or going to your local supermarket and buying an animal that has never seen outside of a shed. The fox and hares' chance of escape is considerably higher than the chance of been caught. What's the odds on the oven ready chicken or rack of lamb?
Barry, Inverness
There are rules and regulations in slaughter houses to ensure animals feel little or no pain on execution. I cannot understand how someone can enjoy watching an animal die in pain. They say they do it to keep the population down, so why don't they use more humane ways of killing them like setting traps, bait or paying someone to go out with a gun - but no they would prefer to hunt them out and watch a dog get its teeth into them.
Sarah, Chester, UK
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I believe that there are far more pressing and important issues on which government should be devoting time and resource
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I am neither for, nor against. In fact I'm largely disinterested. I believe that there are far more pressing and important issues on which government should be devoting time and resource. A health service in disarray despite the many statistics thrown at us, education of our future generations, crime reduction, Kyoto agreement implementation, etc, etc, are all far more worthy of political attention and media coverage.
Brian, Elgin, UK
Having lived in the country for several years prior to moving to the coast, I am still amazed by the enjoyment some humans get from hunting any animal for sport. Which brings me to the question, who are the real animals here!
Donnie Smith, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Quite where the police will find the manpower to combat illegal hunts is beyond me! Living in a village that has involvement with hunts, and has (what appears to be!) part time police, I can only assume that even fewer "real" crimes affecting the people living here will be solved. Still, I'm not surprised that this government chooses to put the welfare of a fox ahead of needs of the voting public.
Tony, Brighton, Sussex
I find it odd that we were faced with a ban or no ban distinction. It seems to me that concerns over animal cruelty could have been dealt with by negotiating laws to ensure animals are killed humanely. The absence of such negotiations indicates that pro-hunting campaigners risked an all or nothing stance rather than discussion and compromise, and they therefore only have themselves to blame for the ban.
Alastair McGowan, Abergavenny, UK
Motor vehicles must surely account for more fox and animal deaths in the countryside than the hunts do. Unfortunately with more pain and suffering to the animals. Are we to ban cars also?
Marcus, Birmingham, England
Hunting has been a part of our rural community for hundreds of years, why should people born and raised in cities with no real experience in "the rural life" dictate how rural people run their affairs?
James, London, UK
All the emotion around hunting misses the point. The ban was introduced using the Parliament Act. Is there not a danger that this act will be invoked every time the government cannot get its own way? Is it a threat to democracy?
MOT, Warwick
MOT of Warwick: this was a free vote of our elected MPs, what could be more democratic. It's only the undemocratic, unelected Lords that has caused it to take so long to ban this. A great day for democracy.
Kevin, West Midlands
Cock fighting and dog fights are no more, and no doubt people grieved the loss of these 'sports' as a way of life. Time for the fox hunters to realise that unnecessary cruelty to foxes must become a thing of the past as well.
Alan Kenedy, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan
I think the hunt supporters have shown what sort of people they are by dropping dead animals on the road, invading the House of Commons and starting riots in the capital... yet we are still supposed to have sympathy for these people?
Ash, Southampton, England
I am violently opposed to this ban and always have been as I see it as an essentially older Labour attack on a perceived class as well as a townie-v-countryside war. Hunting will continue! Be in no doubt! People here bleat on that "it's the law..." etc, well that's right, but bad law is bad law and we have the right to campaign to bring it down, and I look for a Tory lead on this one! Massive vote winner!
Chris Green, Hagley, Worcs, Rural England
The key issue for me is this: hunting is not a sport. As I understand it sport is a situation where by two consenting parties partake in an activity with a genuine hope of winning. This is simply a ostentatious form of murder.
Paul, Wallington UK
Yes, yes, yes!!! And I say that as someone born and bred in the countryside. The activity (it is not a sport) is barbaric and disgusting.
James Miller, Harlow
No! I do not welcome the hunting ban. This must be one of the saddest days in the history of our country. From tomorrow onwards hundreds of thousands of people, including kings and lords of the realm, are to be considered as criminals for taking part in this field sport. It would apply to me, my father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather and even my three times great-grandfather who hosted meets back in 1806. It is a case of utterly misplaced priority. We begin the 21st century waging an illegal war against innocent people for the first time ever and what do we do? We go off protecting foxes just at the start of the lambing season! We may as well pass another law to protect Saddam Hussein!!
Robin Hassall, Aberlour, UK
The hunting ban is only the tip of the iceberg. Next to go will be sport shooting. Soon to be followed by fishing (despite it being the most popular sport in the UK), then boxing, then horse racing. If we are to have any vestige of self-respect we need to exercise social tolerance, or we will end up in a dictatorship.
Dave, London, UK
Of course, as any sane person would. What annoys me the most is when hunters whinge on about "class prejudice". The only ones guilty of class prejudice in this debate are the hunters themselves, who think because they are from upper class stock they are above the law. The rest of us face penalties for animal cruelty, but they call it sport and until now have been getting away with it.
Joanne Shemmans, Birmingham, UK
It will give the police an excuse to prosecute easy targets and turn usually law-abiding citizens into criminals. It is what the Blair government does best. I would not personally want to go hunting, but I would certainly want to be protected from burglars and real criminals!
SP, Southampton, UK
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All I can say is roll on midnight, when this cruel practice will become illegal
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We have waited so long for this ban to come into force, in order to see an end to this brutal and barbaric, so-called "sport". All I can say is roll on midnight, when this cruel practice will become illegal. Anyone found breaking the law should be made an example of. Incidentally, look out for plenty of scarlet riding coats etc, on E-bay in the near future! Any takers? I think not! Well done Labour for having the courage of your convictions at last!
Linda, Manchester, UK
This ban was pushed through three days before the Labour Party Conference in order to get a debate on Iraq withdrawn. That is why I am against it as minority groups should not be victimised simply so politicians can cover up something else.
Chris, Torquay
Best news of the day! The majority finally get their way at last. The strange thing is when pro-hunt people have their say they seemed convinced it is because of "the type" of people who go hunting. Well, if the well over 30 million people don't like that type of person then maybe the time they used to spend killing animals would be better spent at not being the type of person half the population don't like.
Neil D, B'ham, UK
Yes. It's one step further to being more civilised. I'm even thinking of volunteering to help enforce it.
Magnus, London
Surely a sport is only 'barbaric' if it encourages its participants or supporters to act in a barbaric way. Time and again the only people to behave like that have been the 'animal-rights' supporters...
Adam D, Cambridge
Watching the news yesterday and seeing Otis Ferry dangling a freshly caught fox into a baying pack of hounds reminded me of how timely and justified this ban is. It is outrageous that it has taken this long for it to be banned. My only fear is that the police will, as they always have in the past, give in to the high status participants and refuse to enforce the law. The police were always quick enough to police hunts when they were "threatened" by saboteurs. Connections seem more important than laws to our "upper" classes.
Dino, Poole, UK
I personally find hunting distasteful, and would never go on one. However, I see no reason why my personal preference should alter the established practices of a group who are being penalised for doing something that will be done anyway. A fox hunt is no worse (and in many ways probably more humane) than most methods of killing foxes. It just so happens that those involved get to have an event and a day out in the process, which catches the overly politically correct eye. I find it hypocritical, that a government who went into a war it believed was morally correct (and I happen to agree with) even against so many protests, is then spending so much time on an inconsequential issue like this. I could almost imagine this is just a way to get the votes of the politically correct vocalists back on side... but that's just me being cynical, surely...
WD, Yorkshire
The 'support' argument of people losing their jobs when the ban is upheld is ridiculous. If we found a cure for cancer would we not use it for fear of the doctors and nurses jobs? Of course we would. If we can put an end to pain and suffering, then we should, and that goes for hunting with dogs. I suggest the people who are going to lose their jobs through this act of parliament get themselves educated. Most people find that helps with employment possibilities. They may find out about what people really feel about hunting with dogs when they get out into the big world (instead of their cruel and outdated one).
Tina , Cheshire, England
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I will always treasure my memories of the spectacle and classless camaraderie of foxhunting
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The ban will be impossible to enforce - the first prosecution in Scotland recently collapsed in to farce. The law will be seen to be an ass. It is a sad day when hundreds of years of tradition, community and livelihoods are cast aside as a sop to ignorant and bigoted MPs. I will always treasure my memories of the spectacle and classless camaraderie of foxhunting and hope it will be allowed again soon.
Geoff, Portsmouth
I am neither a supporter nor a protestor. Fox hunting was simply not a matter that needed legislation. But Labour hate the rural way of life and that's their agenda.
David Ball, Wokingham, UK
It's just another example of how this nation is loosing its rights and freedoms!
Paqul, Guildford, UK
Today's Cotswold Journal carries an advertisement for at least 7 North Cotswolds/Warwickshire Hunts taking place on Saturday February 19. Broadway at 10.45 am should be an interesting place to be. Defiance or just plain stupidity?
Steve Morton, Cirencester, UK
A majority of MPs have been persuaded to vote to ban hunting with dogs. It's called democracy and you can't pick and choose which laws you obey. The hunting lobby fought a long campaign and fought it well but the simple fact is that the majority believe it should be stopped.
Adam, London
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I hope that the police will enforce this law the same as they would any other
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I am glad of the ban because I believe it has no place in modern society. However, I also hope that the police will enforce this law the same as they would any other, and not turn a blind eye just because certain 'important people' take part. This is an opportunity to show that there is one rule for all, not just some, let's hope they don't waste it.
Dave, Lowestoft, UK
So what next...when do we ban fishing? Come on, all you outspoken activists, defend fishing and tell me why that is not barbaric!! In fact, not just course fishing, sea fishing, trailing fish in drag nets is barbaric, surely we should ban any fishing in or around British waters. Or is that OK because fishing is more working class?? I agree with a lot of arguments with regards to fox hunting, but too many people are targeting certain society groups and losing site of the real issue. If you're really going to make a stand and fight for animal rights then put your money where your mouth is and not just target minority groups!
Jon, Linby
I have a foot in both camps really, I like to see the hunt, they look wonderful on their horses don't they? The dogs have a great old time too. The only thing for me that spoils it (and I have not heard this mentioned by anyone yet) is that certain people are in charge of blocking up the fox holes so the fox cannot go to ground. I think that is a bit one sided, at least let the fox have an escape route! I feel very sorry for the animals now - the horses and the dogs what will happen to them, will they have to be put to sleep now they don't have a job? The dogs are trained to kill the fox, if they are not able to because of the law of the land what will they do? It's OK to say they can do drag hunting but the foxhound isn't trained for that.
Janet, Northampton
I've never hunted in my life and would never have an interest in doing so. However, I find this legislation a pernicious use (or should that be abuse) of government power where no public policy justification exists. Foxes will continue to be killed (lawfully), but in ways that will result in more suffering, and a way of life for a law-abiding sub-set of our society will be eradicated out of some nonsensical class warfare vindictiveness. I look forward to the day when good sense ((and governance) returns to this land and hunting with dogs is restored to its rightful place in the rural scene.
John, London
This barbaric 'sport' should have been banned years ago. There is no place in a civilised society for blood sports of any kind. The police only need to arrest a handful of supporters at a couple of major meets and get 'em into court a bit sharpish. The rest will soon bow to the will of the nation.
Alan, Chesterfield UK
I will never support this legislation until we see a complete ban on ritualistic animal killings in the UK. If fox hunting is to be banned on the grounds of cruelty, then grouse shooting, pheasant shooting, angling, deer hunting, and even the humble mouse trap should all be banned. You can't create legislation against something, but overlook similar practices!
Andy, Leeds, UK
Those in favour of hunting have long argued that this law is really the persecution of the so-called upper class by the so-called middle and working classes. I don't know why this is, as the behaviour of the pro hunt campaigners has displayed no 'class' at all! Indeed it seems that now many of them intend to break the law like common criminals.
JP Hotham, Leeds
This ban is yet another attempt by a failing government to capture the vote of the chattering masses. People will be out of work and many hounds will have to be destroyed because of this ban. I wonder if the animal rights brigade think of that when they are patting themselves on the back at midnight tonight?!
Michelle, Cardiff, UK
I watched a woman being interviewed this morning, saying that she had cried several times this morning, as a result of the hunting ban coming into force. This encapsulates the issue for me - if hunting with dogs is simply an efficient method of pest control, as the hunts claim, what's to cry about? If the tears are for loss of jobs or animals or a way of life, then retain all of that by drag hunting. However, if the tears are because you can no longer have fun through killing an animal, then you are staring the issue full in the face: I (and millions like me) do not want our country, of which we are proud, associated with a "sport" that involves having fun killing an animal.
Alex, Birmingham, England
I am neither a hunt supporter nor protester. However in the absence of any evidence that hunting with dogs is neither more nor less cruel than any other form of pest control I fail to see how anyone has the right to ban it just because they don't like the idea of it. It seems to me that this ban is the start of a very dangerous and slippery slope.
Richard Atkins, Wortham, UK
It's about time. The "sport" is outdated and barbaric. The hunters can have just as much fun going drag hunting and there's the added benefit of not having an exhausted animal being ripped to shreds whilst still alive at the end of it.
Paul Brake, Bath, UK
I am neither pro or anti hunt and can see both sides of the arguments. It's the law, regardless of who thinks what and those who are taalking about ignoring the law should think again. You can't pick and choose which laws you want to abide by. If everyone did that it would be a disaster. The police already have enough to do so why spread them even thinner just to make a point. If while on an illegal hunt a participants home is broken into I suppose they will not want the police to investigate? If you don't like it use your vote - don't be short sighted and act irresponsibly
Mark, Norwich
They must respect the law regardless of their previous tradition.
Ladi, Coventry, UK
Absolutely fantastic! About time this barbaric 'sport' was stopped. When will these people realise how utterly pathetic they are chasing a defenceless animals, I mean get a life and a real job and take that silver spoon out your mouth and realise that laws affect all of us and that you are no way exempt!
Hayley, Lancashire
Another victory for bigotry and malice. I've never been hunting, and don't expect I would ever want to, but I can recognise victimisation when I see it. The pro-hunting case was completely ignored by Labour MPs who clearly couldn't have cared less about whether they were fair or not.
Alex Swanson, Milton Keynes, UK
I live in the countryside and I'm against hunting with dogs. I have always found people who disagree with me do so in an arrogant, overbearing and aggressive manner, unable to find a reasoned argument to justify their blood lust. I'm very pleased this barbaric practice has been outlawed and I look forward to seeing these people prosecuted and fined on a regular basis. The dog fox that patrols our garden and lives on the local railway embankment will be a safer fellow from today and seeing him stride through our estate at 5:00am will remain a pleasure my kids and I can enjoy.
Rick Hough, Knutsford, Cheshire, UK
Hunting with dogs is a barbaric sport! A tradition held fast by a minority who appear to be gaining some support through the intense lobbying by the media to cast this as a whim of the Labour government. Parliament has passed this with a huge majority only to be thwarted by an unelected body of self indulgent peers. Burning witches was also a tradition during a period in our history. Do we still want to carry on this practice?
Jay Sutherland, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Yes about time too, this kind of hunting has no place in modern society. It may be difficult to police but they will get there in the end, they have to show these people that they cannot break the law. When the foot and mouth epidemic was around there was no explosion in the population of foxes so why this fuss about keeping them down, people with brains will tell you that when foxes are under threat they over breed
Lena, Cardiff, UK
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