UKIP Policy on Hunting with Dogs

March 8, 2010 · Filed under hunting, Keep Cruelty History, Parliament & Politics · Tagged hunting, Hunting Act, Keep Cruelty History, Parliament, polling, Repeal, UKIP

We get a lot of calls to the office asking what we know about the smaller political parties’ policies on hunting. Some, like the Greens, are pretty clear. Others, like the BNP, contradict themselves, and now UKIP – the United Kingdom Independence Party – have done the same.

Their policy, contained within a document called “A Farming and rural affairs programme for an independent Britain” states that the Hunting Act has been a “practical failure” (without any explanation for this claim) but goes on to state that the future of the Hunting Act should be a decision for local communities. UKIP would give those communities the opportunity to hold a referenda on whether or not to allow hunting.

The problem for UKIP is that their policy, in reality, proposes two things. First, that the Hunting Act doesn’t work. Second, that it will allow communities to repeal it if they so wish, despite the fact that we know the vast majority of the public support the ban on hunting. So as much as they may dislike the Hunting Act, their proposal would see it left on the statute book, not repealed.

You can read the whole sorry tale for yourself here.