TAKE ACTION
Labour have recently indicated that they would strengthen the Hunting Act. But it’s far from a done deal, and the pro-hunting lobby are turning up the smokescreen in an attempt to salvage their cruel pastime.
That’s why we’re asking YOU to contact the candidates who will stand to be the next MP in your constituency, to tell them the desperate need for strengthening the Hunting Act. Please copy and paste the template email below, adding in any local incidents, news stories and personal experience to help support your arguments, and send this to your local candidates.
We’re particularly interested in reaching Labour candidates as they are most likely to form the next Government, but depending on where you are you may wish to contact the Lib Dem and Plaid Cymru candidates as well.
Find your local Labour candidate here
Find your local Lib Dem candidate here
Find your Plaid Cymru candidate here
By taking action together, we can end hunting for good.
OUR SUGGESTED TEXT
Dear [Insert Name]
The Hunting Act 2004 is an extremely popular piece of legislation, enjoying the support of more than 80% of the public. But it isn’t working as intended. Police chiefs know it, the hunters know it, and the rural communities plagued by illegal hunting know it.
Nearly 20 years after hunting was supposedly banned, up and down the country hunts are exploiting loopholes in the law and continue to chase and kill foxes, hare and deer for fun.
In a recent Channel 4 News exclusive which showed present day footage of hunts flouting the law and committing gross acts of animal cruelty, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead on Hunting Crime, Matt Longman said, “What we’ve got is a law that has a high level of ambiguity within it, and it is without doubt, at times being used by some as a smokescreen to allow them to continue hunting as they said they would 20 years ago. Everybody knows this.”
In a follow up piece, he went on to state that in order to work, “the Hunting Act is going to need reform, to close some of the loopholes that are continually being exploited.”
That’s why I’m writing to you today to ask that if re/elected, you publicly commit to support the strengthening of the Hunting Act, to close the loopholes and to make sure that the law will finally protect British wildlife from the cruelty of hunting with hounds as originally intended.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
[Insert Name]
No Labour candidate is listed here but Markus Campbell-Savours is the Labour candidate for the new constituency of Penrith and Solway. His father, Dale Campbell-Savours was Labour MP a number of years ago (for the Workington constituency that has now amalgamated with Penrith & Border) and although he was anti hunt in general, he still defended the footpacks!