WEST WORCESTERSHIRE MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has warned that measures to protect animal welfare are hiding a continued assault on the rural economy and the country way of life.
The Government has announced legislation to protect the welfare of animals which also includes proposals to ban trail hunting, which was introduced to replace the hunting of live foxes.
The MP was recently briefed by representatives of the hunting community to hear their concerns.
Under the last Labour Government hunting was banned and in response, hunts across the country adopted the practice of setting scents to hunt rather than chasing live animals.
The British Hound Sports Association told Dame Harriett that hunts regularly monitor activities and hunts which break the law are investigated and if necessary, disbanded.
Hunting is estimated to be worth £80 million to the rural economy.
Dame Harriett said: “It’s wrong to ban a country tradition on the assumption hunts are guilty until proven innocent.
“Hunts like the Croome and West Warwickshire and the Ledbury are part of the fabric of our rural life and people turn out in their thousands to support them.
“I met with representatives of the hunting community and they assure me that the sport does not involve hunting live animals as the Government claims.
“Thousands of dogs will have to be put down if this measure is enacted and it will be a huge blow to the rural economy, our traditional and our way of life.”
