Burns: Hunt ban threatens 8,000 jobs

13 June 2000



Burns: Hunt ban threatens 8,000 jobs

UP to 8,000 rural jobs could be lost in the short-term if fox-hunting is banned, warns the Burns Inquiry.

But the long-awaited report also says hunting with hounds seriously compromises the welfare of foxes and other species.

It says that shooting foxes is a better option for controlling numbers than using hounds, but concedes that this cannot be used in all areas.

Lord Burns also concluded that farmers would lose a recreation and free pest control service if a ban was introduced

Home Secretary Jack Straw has now decided to bring forward a bill on hunting with dogs which will cover England and Wales.

MPs will be given a free vote on a number of options ranging from preserving the status quo to an outright ban.

While the government remains neutral, most MPs are expected to back a complete ban. However, it is uncertain how the House of Lords will vote.

Farmer Richard Nuttal drove his tractor from Wincanton, Somerset, to Westminster to join 2,000-strong a pro-hunt demonstration on Monday (12 June).

He told The Daily Telegraph that this was war and threatened that protestors would bring 100 tractors the next time.

Farming is on its knees in this country and yet all the government can do is put the boot in, he said.

The BBC Radio 4 Farming Today programme reports that the trade in Irish horses to Britain for hunting could be hit if a ban was introduced.