Support for ban on hunting is strong

Overwhelming public support for the hunting ban ridicules opposition's call for repeal.

New polling figures released on the third anniversary of the ban on hunting with dogs reveal that the vast majority of people do not want hunting wild animals - foxes, deer and hare - with dogs to be made legal again, and think hunters should obey the law.

The Ipsos MORI polls, released by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the League Against Cruel Sports and the RSPCA, show more than seven out of 10 people in Britain (71 per cent) believe that hunters should not be allowed to break the law.

Furthermore, 73 per cent do not want fox hunting to be made legal again. Eight in 10 (81 per cent) were opposed to bringing back deer hunting, and 82 per cent were opposed to changing the law to allow hare hunting or coursing.

Sir Robert Worcester, founder of MORI, said "Before the ban was introduced, public support for a ban in our surveys typically ranged between 2:1 to 3:1 in favour - so this latest figure suggests that this pattern is continuing."

A MORI poll conducted in January 2002, before the ban, also revealed 72 per cent of the public think fox hunting should be illegal.

Judi Hewitt, North West Hunt Saboteurs Association