Build on the Ban - Strengthen the Act

6th February 2009     Statement from Protect Our Wild Animals regarding the High Court Ruling on the Hunting Act 2004       POWA's lawyers have advised that the High Court Ruling confirms that hunting is an 'intentional' act. The court ruled that 'intention' has to be proven in order to achieve a conviction for hunting a wild mammal with a dog. The hunters claim that all incidents of hunting are 'accidental'. Therefore, POWA's campaign to amend the Act and include a reckless behaviour clause is a sensible way forward to securing more prosecutions.    POWA's campaign will continue to encourage MP's to Build on the Ban & Strengthen the Act.

Comment from John Bryant, Animal Welfare & Wildlife Consultant to POWA "The assertion from the hunting lobby that the Hunting Act should be repealed because it is 'flawed', is a nonsense.  The Badgers Act 1973, which was enacted to outlaw the gruesome 'sport' of badger digging with dogs, had to be amended by three further Acts of Parliament over a period of nineteen years before all its loop-holes were plugged.  If every law found not to be as effective as legislators intended was scrapped, the result would be a criminals' paradise.  The reason the Hunting Act contains loop-holes big enough to drive a pack hounds through, is firstly because of Tony Blair's seven year prevarication over his 1997 manifesto commitment, secondly the Home Office refusal to agree to the inclusion of a proper definition of 'hunting with dogs', and finally the House of Lord's abdication of its role of scrutiny and improvement of the Bill because the majority of its members objected to the principle of banning the hunting of wild animals for sport.  The Hunting Act now needs strengthening so that it does exactly what it says on the can."

POWA has produced an information pack detailing proposals for amendments to strengthen the Hunting Act 2004. .................................

The POWA Packs were circulated to MP's and other interested parties during the last Parliament. We have reproduced the Pack here on our web site for ease of reference.