We are rightly proud to call ourselves a nation of animal lovers.  Half of UK households own a pet and we were the first country to have a society - in the RSPCA - that campaigned for animal welfare and had success in bringing about changes in the law.

Since I became Gloucester’s MP I have worked hard to promote animal welfare issues in Parliament and I think there have been some great victories for animal rights in this time.  Cosmetic testing on animals has been banned and we have legislated for the first time to make owners and keepers responsible for the welfare needs of their pets.  Most importantly of all we passed the Hunting Act in 2004.

The Hunting Act is often simply described as a “ban on fox hunting”, but it is actually a landmark victory in our country’s struggle against animal cruelty.  Any repeal of the Hunting Act would not only bring back fox hunting, but also terrier work, where a terrier is set on a fox underground, stag and deer hunting, and hare coursing.  The Act was never just about fox hunting, but about preventing cruelty to a wide range of Britian’s wildlife.

When I decided to vote for the Act, I thought long and hard about my decision.  I did not seek to carry out a class war and I spoke to many local farmers first.  I became convinced that there were far more effective ways of controlling pest populations than tearing a mammal limb from limb in the name of “sport”.

I have never regretted this decision and I believe the Act has become a strong part of British law.  Despite what some people might tell you about the Act being confusing the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the High Court have both said that they think the Act is perfectly clear.  This fact demonstrated in all of the 56 successful prosecutions under the Act so far. 

Protect the Hunting Act is about more than fox hunting, it is about consigning animal cruelty to the dust bin of history, where it belongs.

Parmjit Dhanda MP
Member of Parliament for Gloucester