ANIMAL FORUM

Labour Supports Bloodsports

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news shooting/ALL/1703//
Posted 20 November 2007
Although Labour succeeded in pushing through a ban on hunting with
dogs, the government is trying to appease bloodsports enthusiasts by
its wholehearted support for the production each year of some 40
million pheasants and partridges to be shot for sport.

At its recent Party Conference, Labour vice chair and Reading West MP
Martin Salter hosted a reception for pro-shoot lobby group, the
British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). Salter was
recently made a BASC Centenary Patron. Ministers who gave pro-shoot
speeches at the event included the Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe;
Rural Affairs Minister, Jonathan Shaw; and Home Office Minister Vernon
Coaker.

Another Labour Party key figure who supports the shooting lobby is
Animal Welfare Minister, Jeff Rooker. He is in charge of overseeing
the 2006 Animal Welfare Act, which promises greater protection for
many animals. However, pro-bloodsports enthusiasts are determined to
misuse the Act and through it legitimise the mass production of
pheasants and partridges for the shooting industry.

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