Schedule 3 - Hunting with Dogs: Prohibition
Hunting Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough, Conservative)
The agricultural trade union under discussion is an effective voice. However, it is primarily a voice for the agricultural worker—the man who does an excellent job driving the tractor and working in the large arable farm. The union is not the voice of gamekeepers or those involved in game conservancy. It is important that hon. Members who support the Bill should treat the views of gamekeepers with respect. Their organisation makes a powerful point, among many others. It states:
The defence in clause 8 permitting the hunting of rodents (rats and squirrels) makes no sense. Why is it OK to hunt a rat and not a rabbit? Why is it OK to hunt a rat in the open but not if it dives underground? More practically, how is the dog in hot pursuit to be stopped?
We are talking about the criminal conviction of people who are simply trying to do their job in difficult circumstances. It is incumbent on those who support the Bill to recognise that fox control is a serious problem, that the fox population is growing in many parts of the country and that dogs—