As the traditional fox hunting season gets underway this weekend, a leading animal welfare charity has challenged what it says is the "desperate hypocrisy" of the hunting community.
"The hunters are telling us on the one hand that hunting is more popular than ever, and yet on the other are calling for the Hunting Act to be repealed," said the Chief Executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, Douglas Batchelor.
"If hunting i
s now so popular, why on earth would you bring back the cruelty? Their hypocrisy is desperate!"
Polling by Ipsos-MORI last month showed that support for the hunting ban had increased since last year, with 85% of the public supporting the ban on hare hunting and 75% supporting the ban on fox hunting. 71% of people in rural communities support the ban.
The League Against Cruel Sports employs a former police officer to train and advise Hunt Observers who attend hunts and film their activities openly and under cover.
"Our Hunt Observers have undergone further training this year and have been provided with high-tech equipment to enable them to collect quality evidence that we can then pass to the police," said Mr Batchelor.
"We are absolutely determined that we will see a dramatic increase in prosecutions this season, and hunters should be very aware that we will stop at nothing to bring them to justice."
