Martlew, Eric

That this House celebrates the second anniversary of the implementation of the Hunting Act 2004 and the end of the gratuitous cruelty of traditional hare-coursing, stag hunting and foxhunting; congratulates the hunts who have changed to drag hunting, eliminating the prolonged pursuit and barbaric deaths of defenceless animals; is delighted that the Act did not destroy 35,000 jobs or the economy of the countryside nor lead to the putting down of thousands of hounds and horses; is concerned at suggestions in the media that some illegal hunting is taking place; is disturbed that some extreme elements of the hunting fraternity believe themselves to be above the law and claim to break the law with impunity; is further concerned at the use of intimidatory tactics by some hunt supporters to prevent peaceful and legal monitoring of hunts; welcomes the three prosecutions in 2005 and further prosecutions in 2006 which demonstrate the effectiveness of the Hunting Act in targeting illegal hunting; notes that hunts have had adequate time to adjust; and now calls for rigorous vigilance and prosecutions of organised and systematic breaches of the Act.