Template letters to MP - changing the hunting act 2025
Later this year, there will be a Government Consultation concerning the promised changes to the Hunting Act. We are guessing that the Consultation will be in September. That gives us four months to get a conversation going with our own MPs [details here], asking them not only to support the new law, but also to make sure that this time, the hunting of wild animals with dogs is banned properly. Don’t wait till September – do it NOW.
You can, of course, write your own emails or letters. But if you don’t have time, please make use of either of the template letters below. And, let us know how you get on.
LETTER ONE
To find your MP and how to contact them, please click here:
https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
Dear [MP’s name]
I was delighted with the debate in Parliament on 1st April concerning the Government’s promise to ban the cruel sport of trail hunting. I was also pleased to note that trail hunting is universally known to be a cover for traditional fox hunting.
I am looking forward to the consultation on the subject which is happening later this year.
As your constituent, I am hoping that you will give all the support you can to the change in the law.
However, simply banning trail hunting is not enough. It will not put a stop to stag hunting in Devon and Somerset. Stag hunts are openly chasing and killing several stags a week by taking advantage of the many other loopholes in the Hunting Act. There are nine exemptions to the Hunting Act, and all of them must be removed.
Additionally, there are many other aspects of the Hunting Act that must be reviewed. Here is a link to a report by Action Against Foxhunting. It details all the problems with the Hunting Act (with 25 case studies), and explains how the Hunting Act should be strengthened.
https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/broken-law-how-the-hunting-act-has-failed-a-report-by-aaf/
Please let me know your thoughts on the subject.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Your name and address [NB you need to include your address so your MP knows you are their constituent]
LETTER TWO
Dear [MP’s name]
Let’s be clear on your headline regarding steps to end so-called “trail hunting.”
What we need is a total ban on FOX HUNTING.
The word “trail” has never been convincing, and it does not stand up to scrutiny at all. The collected evidence of illegal hunting since 2004 cannot be ignored.
Any new law must have no loopholes at all, and no opportunity whatsoever for the hunts to disregard for the law as easily as they have done for the last twenty years.
It is also important not to forget the stags. Banning trail hunting will not put a stop to stag hunting in Devon and Somerset. Stag hunts are openly chasing and killing several stags a week by taking advantage of the many other loopholes in the Hunting Act. There are nine exemptions to the Hunting Act, and all of them must be removed.
Hares and minks are also being illegally hunted. These activities must also be included.
We need proper policing of the hunts, and real sanctions that will actually make the hunters think twice before offending.
I don’t believe that there is any reason to hesitate on account of the rural economy. There is plenty of work in the countryside for anyone involved in legitimate activities such as riding for pleasure, drag hunting and clean boot.
This ban will bring about a kinder world for all animals, not least for the hounds used in hunting and the horses.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Your name and address [NB you need to include your address so your MP knows you are their constituent]
