quote:

Fox hunters test limits of new law LONDON, England -- Thousands of defiant hunt supporters gathered across England and Wales Saturday as foxhound packs rode out for the first time since new legislation on hunting came into force. More than 250 hunts set off across the country "to drag hunt within the law" following a ban on hunting and killing foxes with hounds. The ban came into force on Friday. In a legal drag hunt, foxes are flushed out of a wood and shot dead before their scent is left as a trail for the hounds. Police were out in force to look out for evidence of breaches of the ban and prevent violence between hunt supporters and opponents. "The law says a person is guilty of an offense if he hunts a wild mammal with a dog. That is a fairly straightforward piece of legislation," Suffolk county Chief Constable Alastair McWhirter said. Actor Jeremy Irons and Labour MP Kate Hoey were among the many hunt supporters condemning the ban Saturday as "prejudiced and bigoted" and determined to see it overturned. Others said the new law was unenforceable and impossible to monitor, and anti-hunt groups claimed they already had evidence of "suspicious behavior." The South Shropshire Hunt, whose joint master is Otis Ferry, son of rock star Bryan Ferry, claimed its first legal fox hunting kill within an hour of riding out near Shrewsbury, western England. "The fox was shot, taken out of the earth and then given to the hounds," Countryside Alliance spokeswoman Clare Rowson said. The League Against Cruel Sports said it had about 100 monitors at hunts Saturday, and league spokesman Mike Hobday said "extremely suspicious activities are taking place." "We have a number of clear signs of suspicious behavior and we are gathering the evidence together in order to be able to get an assessment across the country," he said. "We have captured evidence on film and also have evidence from members of the public but that is all we can say at present." Earlier, the league's chief executive, Douglas Batchelor, condemned the hunt's decision to go out with hounds as "reckless." "They will need to exercise extreme caution if they are to avoid committing a criminal offence," he said. The Countryside Alliance said hunts would be difficult to monitor. Simon Hart, alliance chief executive, said Saturday was "simply the first day in the dismantling of the hunting (ban)." Describing the ban as an "embarrassment" to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Hart said he was sorely tempted to say "sod it" and defy the ban completely. Hart said "dogs will be dogs" and noted that under government guidelines, an accidental fox kill is acceptable as long as there is no proof of intent. But he insisted he would be urging all hunts to stay within the law and carry out drag hunts. Hart was attending the Duke of Beaufort's Hunt in Didmarton in Gloucestershire, western England. "There has been hunting in England for 700 years. This (ban) may take two or three years, perhaps two or three months, to unpick. It will be nothing more than a temporary break," Hart said. The Duke of Beaufort's Hunt is one of the country's most prestigious. Prince Charles and his fiancee, Camilla Parker Bowles, have ridden with the hunt in the past but were absent Saturday, The Associated Press reported. When the riders returned from the hunt at 2 p.m., hunt master Ian Farquhar said no fox had been killed. "We did not get a fox today," he said. "We stayed entirely within the law. We will carry on hunting but making sure we stay within the law, however it will be hard-tested." http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europ...ting/index.html

Moving away from U.S. news and politics this forum is addicted to... Any Brits got opinions on this?