July 2005

(*)- added since last update

Sunday Times 31.7.05 In pursuit of the upper classes BY ROD LIDDLE - Sometimes I suspect the Countryside Alliance was right and that the national debate about fox-hunting came down to a very simple equation: which do you prefer, toffs or foxes? And the answer was pretty much unequivocal. Of course, this is no basis upon which to frame important legislation, laws that will undoubtedly threaten the livelihood of several score of people across the country…. Last week, we had the middle-class journalist James Delingpole sucking up to the toffs in The British Upper Class (Sunday, C4)… (story)

Sunday Independent (Ireland) 31.7.05 Irish drugs industry targeted by animal rights extremists - ANIMAL rights extremists, with links to groups that have carried out terror-style attacks in the UK, USA and mainland Europe, havebegun targeting Ireland's pharmaceutical industry… the Sunday Independent has learned that a hardcore group of extremists has been visiting the offices and factories of Ireland's top pharmaceutical companies and is believed to have been spying on senior employees… (story)

Scotland on Sunday 31.7.05 China must pass laws on cruelty - ALTHOUGH animal welfare as a concept has spread in China only within the past decade, there are many reasons for the country to speed up the adaptation of animal welfare legislation… Animal protection organisations hope that, in order to enhance its international image and meet the growing concerns of the Chinese public, the government may soon introduce a basic animal welfare law. Ross Minett, director, Advocates for Animals (story)

LEGAL CHALLENGES TO HUNT BAN
Western Morning News 30.7.05 PRO-HUNT CAMPAIGN TO APPEAL ON RULING - Pro-hunt campaigners across the Westcountry have vowed to fight on, despite losing the second attempt to overturn the ban on hunting with dogs yesterday… However the Countryside Alliance said it would continue the campaign, having been granted leave to take their case to the court of appeal…. Brian Friend, a retired airline pilot from Membury, near Axminster, Devon, and Hugh Thomas, a retired gamekeeper from Monksilver, near Taunton, are both members of the Union of Country Sports Workers. Reacting to the judgment, Mr Friend said: "The High Court seems content that we, the hunting community, should not be accorded the same rights, in law, as gypsies and other ethnic groups despite clearly meeting the criteria defining such a group… Robin Nicholls, master of the Tetcott hunt, which hunts around Bude in north Cornwall and across the border into Devon, said: "I just wish the Government would realise how many lives are being ruined by this…” (story)
Leicester Mercury 30.7.05 FOX-HUNTERS WILL FIGHT ON BY GARY MITCHELL - Pro-hunting campaigners have vowed to fight on despite failing in their second attempt to overturn the ban on hunting with dogs… Joe Cowen, of Lutterworth, who is master and trainer of the Fernie hunt, was in court. He said: "We did indeed lose, but we shall be fighting on. We will carry on to the appeal court." Clare Bell, secretary of the Cottesmore Hunt, in Rutland, said: "It's a terribly sad day for the rural community…. (story)
Western Mail 30.7.05 Pro-hunters defeated in court - PRO-HUNT campaigners have been out-foxed in their second High Court challenge to the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales… But the Countryside Alliance, which is pursuing the claim in the names of 10 claimants, including Powys livestock farmer Ken Jones, joint Master of the Irfon and Towy Hunt, has been given leave to appeal…. "They did not feel strongly enough that the ban is a disproportionate infringement of those rights," said Alliance spokesman Darren Hughes. His father, Brian, is Master of the Llangeinor Hunt and his mother, Mair, was one of three named claimants who challenged the ban in the courts earlier this year on the grounds that the Government had acted illegally. (story)
Western Daily Press 30.7.05 HUNTSMEN VOW TO KEEP UP FIGHT - West huntsmen vowed to continue fighting the ban on hunting on human rights grounds last night after they lost the first round of their legal challenge in the High Court yesterday…. Many of the 10 said their livelihoods relied on hunting with dogs, including huntsman Donald Summersgill, from the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, and livery owner Lesley Drage, whose business renting horses to hunt riders in the Cotswolds has suffered terribly since the ban… (story)
Telegraph 30.7.05 Pro-hunt campaign loses legal challenge against ban By Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor - Pro-hunting campaigners yesterday lost their second High Court challenge to the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales…. But John Jackson, chairman of the Countryside Alliance, said the battle would continue…. (story)
Times 30.7.05 Judges back hunting ban BY VALERIE ELLIOTT - HUNTING supporters lost their second legal challenge to the ban on their sport yesterday at the High Court… (story)
Guardian 30.7.05 Further legal defeat for hunt supporters Clare Dyer, legal editor - Pro-hunt campaigners yesterday lost their second high court challenge to the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales…. (story)
Mirror 30.7.05 HUNTERS' 2ND BLOW - PRO-HUNT campaigners yesterday lost their second High Court bid to overturn the ban on hunting with dogs throughout England and Wales…. (story)

Nottingham Evening Post 30.7.05 CHAMP SMITH EXPANDS YARD - National team chasing champion Graham Smith, who is also joint master of the South Notts Hunt and a field master of the Newark-based Readyfield Bloodhounds, is expanding his equestrian yard and moving into eventing and racing… (story)

Western Mail 30.7.05 Fox outrage - Royston Jones of Brecon (July 26), says, "As for conservation of wildlife, conservation is one of the worst things that could happen to any species." I would consider that a sweeping statement…. Foxes "out of control" do not occur in nature, they occur in the entertainment and business and sporting habits of certain men and women. BRIAN KING, Aberdare Road, Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon Taf (letter)
Western Mail 26.7.05 Don't blame farmers - The comments reported to have been made by Dr Elaine King cannot be allowed to go unchallenged (Country & Farming, July 12). She is unable to understand why taxpayers have bailed out, twice, the livestock industry for problems of its own making. Those with short memories, should not make such sweeping statements…. As for the conservation of wildlife, conservation is one of the worst things that could happen to any species. A classic example being the build-up of fox numbers in our towns and cities, to the extent that there has been a loss of 90% of foxes in Bristol because of fox mange…. ROYSTON JONES, LLanfilangel, Nantbran, Brecon (letter)

Western Morning News 30.7.05 SURVEY TO EXAMINE VALUE OF SHOOTING - A report into the impact of game shooting on Exmoor has been commissioned by the Exmoor National Park Authority . The report, which has the support of the Greater Exmoor Shoots Association (GESA), will examine the environmental, social and economic impact of game shooting in the National Park and comes after the League Against Cruel Sports made clear its intentions to pursue a ban on shooting…. (story)
Western Morning News 30.7.05 RURAL SHOOTING IS UNDER ATTACK - The survey to calculate the economic importance of shooting on Exmoor, commissioned by the National Park, is a worthwhile exercise that should be rolled out across the whole of the Westcountry. Because it is clear that with the hunting battle all but over, the League Against Cruel Sports is turning its attention to game shooting. The consequences of a ban on shooting sports would be hugely financially damaging, as well as representing a further attack on the rural way of life… we have seen the pressure that can be brought to bear by determined backbenchers. It was they who effectively scuppered the Government's preference for licensed hunting, insisting on a full-scale ban. They could, over time, do the same for shooting…. (story)

icScotland 30.7.05 Gamekeeper denies shooting owl - A gamekeeper has appeared in court accused of shooting a protected bird of prey in Lanarkshire. Mark Palmer, 23, denies killing a rare, short-eared owl on a moor at Leadhills Estate, Abington, in May 2004… (story)

Swindon Evening Advertiser 30.7.05 Boycott the dog racing - THE horrific report of increased animal cruelty, featured in the Swindon Advertiser, will have shocked many people… However, many people attend greyhound racing without realising that they are encouraging cruelty on a massive scale… M Harrison, Toothill, Swindon (letter in archive)

Bournemouth Daily Echo 30.7.05 Bank ad prompts plea for a boycott by Jane Reader - SUPPORTERS of rescue centre Monkey World are being urged to boycott Barclaycard to protest against the company's use of a performing monkey in an advertisement… And Jim Cronin, who runs Monkey World at Wool, near Wareham, told the Daily Echo: "It is more than disappointing that Barclay-card would seek to use such a gimmick….” The Barclaycard advertisement, which stars Jennifer Saunders, has been criticised by Animal Defenders International, the organisation which exposed the horrific abuse of primates at Mary Chipperfield Promotions leading to 13 convictions for cruelty…. (story in archive)

Western Daily Press 30.7.05 BEARS' NEW DEN A TONIC FOR THE SOUL - We know that you will feel every bit as proud as we do today, looking at the pictures of the new bile bear rescue centre you have helped pay for. It was your generosity that took our appeal fund for the horribly mistreated creatures to almost £120,000…. (story)

Edinburgh Evening News 30.7.05 Activists to mount a protest at horse show - JOANNA VALLELY - ANIMAL welfare campaigners from across Scotland are set to stage a major protest at an international horse circus in Edinburgh tomorrow. Visitors to Spirit of the Horse at the Royal Highland Centre will be greeted by placard-waving protesters wearing horse masks…. Lynda Korimboccus, Advocates for Animals' campaigns manager, said: "It's a circus act as far as I'm concerned. By their very nature, circuses cannot provide the space and necessary requirements to meet the needs of animals…” (story)
Aberdeen Press & Journal 14.7.05 ANIMAL RIGHTS THREAT TO INVERNESS HORSES SHOW - Animal activists have warned last-minute demonstrations may be organised to protest about a performing horse show which opened in Inverness last night. Spirit of the Horse, billed as "Europe's largest and most spectacular equestrian touring theatre show", will give twice-daily performances in a huge tent next to Caledonian Thistle's Longman stadium until Sunday. Advocates for Animals and the Captive Animals' Protection Society (CAPS) insist it is in reality a horse circus and have urged members of the public to boycott the show…. (story)

Edinburgh Evening News 30.7.05 Courts must get tough - ROSS MINETT, director of Advocates For Animals, is absolutely right in saying sentences given out to those who abuse animals are far too lenient… Mrs June Fleming, Oxgangs Farm Gardens, Edinburgh (letter)

Edinburgh Evening News 30.7.05 I could eat a horse . . but make it a stripy one - GARETH EDWARDS - ZEBRAS are generally seen bounding across the plains of Africa in large herds. But Edinburgh diners are being offered a slightly different view of the animal, as it sizzles on top of a metal frying pan surrounded by herbs. The meat, sourced from a company in England, has been added to the menu of Khublai Khans, a Mongolian restaurant which re-creates the style of cooking favoured by the marauding 13th-century warriors…. A spokesman for animal rights group Advocates for Animals said: "We are concerned to learn of any 'exotic' meat on sale in Scotland….” (story)

LEGAL CHALLENGES TO HUNT BAN
Horse & Hound 29.7.05 Hunting Act upheld as lawful - Holly Kirkwood - The Countryside Alliance's latest challenges to the Hunting Act at the High Court have failed, as the CA vows to fight on… John Jackson, Chairman of the Countryside Alliance, said: "The judges have accepted that there is interference with some of the claimants rights, and that the Hunting Act will have a substantial general adverse effect on the lives of many in the rural community…. We have been granted leave to take this case to the Court of Appeal." (story)
icBerkshire 29.7.05 Pro-hunt group lose court ruling - Pro-hunt campaigners have lost their second High Court challenge to the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales…. (story)
Scotsman 29.7.05 Pro-hunt group lose court ruling (story)
Evening Standard 29.7.05 Pro-hunt group lose court ruling (story)
Guardian 29.7.05 High court rejects hunting ban challenge - Pro-hunting campaigners in the high court today lost a second bid to challenge the hunting ban… (story)
Sky 29.7.05 HUNT BAN REMAINS - Pro-hunt campaigners have lost their second bid to overturn a ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales…. (story)
M2 29.7.05 High Court rules that hunting ban is lawful: pro-hunt challenges dismissed - Published in M2 PressWIRE on Friday, 29 July 2005 at 14:51 GMT - In an historic judgement today, the High Court has dismissed claims from the Countryside Alliance and other hunting supporters that the hunting ban breaches Human Rights and European law. Significantly, Lord Justice May and Mr Justice Moses found that, in passing the Hunting Act 2004, there was sufficient material available for MPs to conclude that hunting with dogs is cruel and that it could be banned…. (story)
BBC News Online 29.7.05 Hunt campaign loses court battle - Pro-hunt campaigners have lost their second High Court challenge to laws banning hunting with dogs. The Countryside Alliance tried to use European human rights laws to overturn the ban in England and Wales…. (story)
Guardian 29.7.05 Hunt supporters wait for court ruling - Press Association - Pro-hunting campaigners will learn today whether they have succeeded in a second bid to challenge the hunting ban…. (story)
Evening Standard 29.7.05 Pro-hunt group to hear court ruling - Pro-hunt campaigners will learn whether they have succeeded in a second bid to overturn the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales… (story)
icScotland 29.7.05 Pro-hunt group to hear court ruling - Pro-hunt campaigners will learn whether they have succeeded in a second bid to overturn the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales…. (story)
Sky News 29.7.05 HUNTING DECISION DUE - Pro-hunt campaigners will learn today whether they have succeeded in a second bid to overturn the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales. Two senior judges are ruling in a case which has split the country…. (story)

Hexham Courant 29.7.05 HUNT FUND-RAISERS By HELEN COMPSON - SUPPORTERS of the Tynedale Hunt are holding a fund-raising riding event this weekend in a bid to prevent hounds being put down. The bonus to riders is that they will be able to cross land that isn’t generally open to them…. (story)

WELSH ASSEMBLY CAMPAIGN
South Wales Evening Post 29.7.05 HUNTING ACT PRESSURE - Pressure is being stepped up on the Assembly to change its approach to the Hunting Act. The Countryside Alliance says the Assembly must take positive action to "rectify the damage" caused by the Hunting Act…. (story)
Western Mail 22.7.05 Hunting lobby 'threatens Welsh Bill' - Kirsty Buchanan, Western Mail - HUNT campaigners could scupper plans to give the National Assembly greater powers, if they press ahead with demands to lift the ban on hunting with dogs in Wales. Welsh Secretary Peter Hain has warned that getting the new Government of Wales Bill through Parliament will be a delicate business without attempted power grabs for the Assembly in non-devolved areas…. (story)
Daily Post 14.7.05 Fighting hunt ban is off the agenda By Andrew Forgrave, Daily Post - A POLITICAL row has broken out over claims that hunting with packs of hounds could be allowed in Wales within months. The Assembly last night poured cold water over NFU Cymru's assertion that hunting was to be put back on the political agenda… Countryside minister Carwyn Jones said any debate over exempting Wales from elements of the Hunting Act would not happen until after the next Assembly elections…. But the union insists it has been given a commitment by Mr Jones that the Assembly would reconsider the issue… (story)
Western Mail 12.7.05 Hunts may ride again if powers allow fox control - Steve Dube, Western Mail - FOX hunting with a pack of dogs could return to Wales within months. Wales Rural Affairs Minister Carwyn Jones has confirmed that the National Assembly will be asked to consider exempting Wales from elements of the controversial Hunting Act as soon as it has the powers to do so…. (story)
Daily Post 23.6.05 Calls to amend hunting in Wales - WALES must go it alone and allow some forms of hunting if next season's lamb crop is not to be devastated, farm leaders have warned. NFU Cymru president Peredur Hughes has written to Wales countryside minister Carwyn Jones to exercise the Assembly's right to alter the hunting ban… (story)
Bangor & Holyhead Mail 8.6.05 Welsh farmers fight on for effective fox control by Michelle Rushton, North Wales Weekly Newspapers series - EFFECTIVE fox control in Wales has become a burning issue with many sheep and poultry farmers. And the overwhelming response from NFU Cymru Wales members is that the use of dogs as a method of agricultural pest control should continue for controlling foxes… Local farming bodies spoke with one voice to protect the interests of these farmers in Wales when they met last month with Environment Planning and Countryside Minister, Carwyn Jones, at the Welsh Assembly Government…. (story)

Tottenham & Wood Green Independent 29.7.05 Big Brother house to House of Commons By Peter Sherlock - Tottenham Conservatives hope fox-hunting toff Derek Laud from reality TV show Big Brother will return to challenge David Lammy at the next General Election. Political speechwriter Derek, 40, has attracted a wider fanbase than most Tory leadership hopefuls during his six-week stint in the BB house. And the chairman of the local Conservative Party, Justin Hinchcliffe, has said it would be a great coup' if Derek chose to return to the seat he contested in 1997… (story)

Northern Echo 29.7.05 Not so glorious for grouse shooting - SHOOTING estates in the region are predicting a poor grouse season this year as an infestation of worms threatens much of the country's population…. (story in archive)

Western Daily Press 29.7.05 DON'T TARGET EXMOOR, SAYS SHOOTING LOBBY - The rolling hills and moorland of Exmoor are quiet at this time of year, but come the beginning of September the sporadic echo of gunfire will ring out across the stirring landscape. The 40 or so game bird shoots on Exmoor are regarded as some of the best in the world and attract well-heeled shooters from as far as the US and Australia…. For farmers, the shooting of pheasants and partridge has become a vital source of income. That is a why the League Against Cruel Sports' public announcement that it is now pursuing a ban on shooting is casting a long shadow over one of the region's most beautiful rural communities…. (story)

Scotsman 29.7.05 Rethink raptors' status - We welcome the commitment of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to research the alarming decline in our upland bird populations (your report, 22 July)…. It only has to look again at the results of the joint raptor study carried out on Langholm Moor, in Dumfriesshire, where, along with the upland birds, went the jobs of keepers, with massive damage to the local economy… TONY ANDREWS, Scottish Countryside Alliance, Ingliston, Midlothian (story)

Aberdeen Press & Journal 29.7.05 CAIRNGORMS DEER TALKS SMOOTH OUT CULL WRANGLE - TOMMY SMITH - The future of controversial deer management in the UK's largest national park was discussed yesterday. Deer managers, community organisations and other groups joined together in Tomintoul to share information and opinions on the future of managing the animals which live within the 1,467sq mile Cairngorms National Park. The event, organised by the park authority and the Deer Commission for Scotland, was primarily aimed at helping the authority develop it's approach to deer issues…. (story)

Northern Echo 29.7.05 Crimefighting anglers net award - YOUNG anglers were yesterday rewarded for their efforts in a national crimefighting competition. Teenagers from the Knaresborough Road estate, in Harrogate, have set up the Mapplebeck Anglers' Association. The group has been such a success that it won through to the final of the National Crimebeat competition, where it came second… (story in archive)

Oxford Mail 29.7.05 We must tackle these activists - I would like to pass on my sincere apologies to all members of Hertford, St Hilda's and St Catherine's Colleges after the unnecessary and appalling act of arson destroying their boathouse (Oxford Mail, July 22). To have got to a stage that vandals can class themselves as animal rights' activists and use this cause to vandalise people's homes, destroy properties and threaten individuals is a very sad day indeed… We need to unite and stand up against these 'activists' before they destroy the society we live in. Matthew Lovell, Lincoln College, Oxford (letter in archive)

ACTIVIST ATTACKS BIG ISSUE SELLER
Times 29.7.05 Big Issue rejects adverts after vendor is attacked BY RUSSELL JENKINS - THE BIG ISSUE magazine announced yesterday that it would no longer publish advertisements for a major pharmaceutical research company because one of its vendors was attacked by an animal rights activist. The magazine, which provides employment for the homeless, complained that its streetsellers had been targeted by activists campaigning against Covance, a clinical testing company… (story)
BBC News Online 28.7.05 Activist attacks Big Issue seller - The Big Issue in the North magazine has dropped an advert for a drugs company after one of its vendors was attacked by an animal rights campaigner. The homeless man was selling the magazine in Liverpool when he was assaulted by a woman over its adverts for Covance, which tests on animals. Big Issue Managing Director Richard Brown called it a "horrific incident"… "Picking on vulnerable people to get what you want is a despicable way to act…." (story)
Manchester Evening News 28.7.05 Big Issue pulls ad after vendor attack - The Big Issue in the North magazine has been forced to pull adverts from a drug company after a vendor was attacked in Liverpool by an animal rights activist…. (story)

Leicester Mercury 29.7.05 ANIMAL-TESTING CONCERN - I would like to give Leicester City Council a big bouquet for its work in bringing in policies that use only animal-friendly products. This is a great step forward in the fight to bring all animal testing to an end…. Sue Chambers, Leicester (letter)

The Sentinel 29.7.05 ANIMAL FARMING IS NO ANSWER FOR POOR - Regarding the letter headlined Charity collections will buy 37 goats (The Sentinel, July 21). I fully support steps to help people in poorer countries (e.g. through fair trade). However, animal farming is an inefficient way of feeding people… MARK RICHARDS Newcastle (letter)

Worcester Evening News 28.7.05 Why I wanted MP to foot the bill for this slaughter - A FUMING farmer nearly got on the phone to Worcester MP Mike Foster after his prize-winning hens were savagely killed in what is believed to have been a fox attack. Charlie Bull returned home to find the mutilated bodies of 19 of his Light Sussex hens strewn across his farm. And his first thought was to send the bill to Mr Foster, who introduced the 1997 bill which led to the hunting ban… (story in archive)

Western Gazette 28.7.05 ANIMAL RIGHTS MAN FEARS FOR DOGS' LIVES - Police are investigating an attack on the home of an animal rights activist where an open bag of rat poison was thrown into his garden. Kevin Sheehan, aged 60, found a split bag of rat poison pellets in the garden of his home in Osmington Mills on Friday morning…. He blamed hunt supporters and said it showed they were resorting to desperate measures after the ban on hunting with dogs came into force in February…. His cafe, The Tea Rooms, has signs up saying "Hunters are not welcome" and Mr Sheehan now helps monitor drag and trail hunts in Dorset to make sure the ban is not being flouted…. Huntsmaster with the South Dorset Hunt Rory Innes said it was irresponsible for Mr Sheehan to point the finger indiscriminately. "I have had my house set alight, my car written off and recently had my windows put in but I have not tried to get publicity about it and point the finger," he said…. (story)

FELIX THE FOX UNMASKED
(probably Gloucester Citizen) 28.7.05 NO LONGER FOXED BY 'FELIX' - It's a mystery that's been baffling the residents of Gloucestershire for months. Pictures of a devilish black fox in hunting kit giving a victory sign have sprung up on road signs across the county (inset). Felix the Fox has become the symbol of the hunt's Fight the Ban movement…. (story)
Gloucestershire Echo 26.7.05 FELIX - FOXING MYSTERY MAN IS REVEALED - It's a mystery that's been baffling the residents of Gloucestershire for months. Pictures of a devilish black fox in hunting kit giving a victory sign have sprung up on road signs across the county. Felix the Fox has become the symbol of the hunt's Fight the Ban movement…. Cirencester estate agent Rupert Sturgis has stepped forward to reveal he's the man in the fox suit… Now Rupert wants to host a Fox Aid concert at his family's farm in Somerset and is hoping his chart-topping Army buddy James Blunt might top the bill. As well as a band fronted by the daughter of Capt Ian Farquhar, the master of the Beaufort Hunt, there will be a disco, fairground, camping, steel band and singers…. (story)
Western Daily Press 23.7.05 FELIX UNMASKED - A Former Horseguards officer, upmarket estate agent and amateur jockey revealed last night that he is the man behind the Felix the Fox campaign against the hunting ban. And now Rupert Sturgis is planning the biggest Felix event yet - in his own back yard… He said: "It's all about keeping awareness of the hunting issue going, keeping people together and fighting and above all having a bit of fun and making a mockery of the ban…” And last night Rupert was organising his biggest stunt yet - a Fox Aid benefit concert aimed at "making the Hunting Ban History". The concert-cum-festival will take place on the family's farm land in Great Somerford, Wiltshire, right after the end of the annual Somerford Show, a traditional agricultural show that takes place next to the River Avon opposite the family farm. As well as a band fronted by the daughter of Captain Ian Farquhar, the master of the Beaufort Hunt, there will be a disco, light show, fairground, camping, a steel band and other singers… But last night the League Against Cruel Sports condemned the Felix campaign for "hijacking the language" of Live8…. (story)

Western Daily Press 28.7.05 POINTING TO THE FUTURE - Point-to-point fixtures in Devon and Cornwall will go ahead in 2006 despite the hunting ban imposed earlier this year. All 27 planned fixtures have been given the green light following the area's annual meeting in Okehampton. Chairman Frank Yeo commented: "In light of the hunting ban, there are difficult times ahead but, if we all remain positive right the way through, we shall be running on all cylinders."… (story)

Taunton Times 28.7.05 HUNTSMAN'S TALE - Staghunter: The Remarkable Story of Ernest Bawden. Published by Halsgrove, Tiverton, Devon 2005, £16.99 AT first glance this appears to be a man's book. But closer attention reveals it is not only the biography of an amazing huntsman but an evocation of life on Exmoor from the time when the first Bawdens arrived from Cornwall in 1750… The author is dedicated to his subject and those who hunted with the great Bawden. In a foreword the indefatigable huntress Baroness Mallalieu tells us that this story explains why stag hunting remains central to life on Exmoor. '???its continuation is crucial to the survival of the herds of red deer'…. (story)

Birmingham Post 28.7.05 Mids MP tells anglers to fight potential ban - Anglers should focus on promoting the social, environmental and economic benefits of their sport to safeguard its future, a Midland MP has said. Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire, made his comments following fears animal rights activists will call for a ban on the sport… His comments came after the Country Land and Business Association revealed results of an ICM survey, in which 84 per cent of 1,000 adults quizzed said they did not want to see fishing banned. The poll results were announced at the annual CLA Game Fair held at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire, at the weekend…. (story)

BUAV PROTEST LETTER
Hawick News 28.7.05 Sir, Tough new powers were recently implemented today to tackle animal rights “extremist campaigns of violence and intimidation”… Adolfo Sansolini, Chief Executive The BUAV (story)
Bucks Free Press 25.7.05 Threat to freedom - Adolfo Sansolini Chief Executive, The BUAV, Crane Grove, London (story)
North Devon Journal 7.7.05 OUR CONCERNS AT NEW LAWS ON INTIMIDATION - Tough new powers were implemented to tackle animal rights extremist campaigns of violence and intimidation. The measures do not officially affect peaceful, law-abiding organisations such as ourselves, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, as we do not conduct protests outside people's homes or harass anyone… However, we are concerned these new powers will constitute a serious threat to freedom of expression for anyone who opposes animal experiments making it an offence, for example, to cause economic damage… ADOLFO SANSOLINI, Chief Executive, The BUAV, Crane Grove, London. (letter)

THE SIEGE OF DARLEY OAKS FARM
Burton Mail 28.7.05 ACTIVIST SICKENED BY ANIMAL RIGHTS FILM - A PASSIONATE animal rights protester has condemned activists behind a campaign of terror against owners and workers at a guinea pig farm near Burton. London–based teacher Stephanie Garland, says she felt ashamed to be an animal rights campaigner after watching Monday night's BBC2 documentary entitled The Siege of Darley Oaks. Following the programme, which focused on activists targeting the Darley Oaks Farm, in Newchurch, which breeds guinea pigs for scientific research, the Mail was inundated with letters, some from as far as Scotland, labelling the protesters 'home grown versions of the London bombers'... (story)
Burton Mail 26.7.05 GUINEA PIGS PROTEST FURY - ANIMAL rights protesters at a controversial guinea pig farm near Burton were today compared to the London bombers. Letters from as far as Scotland have been sent to the Mail condemning activists targeting Darley Oaks Farm, in Newchurch, as a 'home grown versions of the London bombers' after a documentary entitled The Siege of Darley Oaks Farm was aired on BBC2 last night…. (story)
Times 26.7.05 From animal lovers to human haters - HANNAH BETTS - BRITAIN IS a notoriously animal friendly nation, and there are those among us who subjugate human rights in their favour. These individuals are not so much animal lovers as haters of humans… The word terrorist has become more emotive than ever over the last troubled weeks, but that, undoubtedly, is what such individuals constitute. It was a term that cropped up several times during The Siege of Darley Oaks Farm (BBC Two), a Money Programme special charting five years of guerrilla warfare directed against John Hall, a guinea-pig farmer whose stock is bred for medical experimentation… All that could be achieved in half an hour was a snapshot, but what a compelling snapshot it was…. (story)
BBC News Online 26.7.05 The siege of Darley Oaks Farm By Adam Warner - For five years, animal rights activists have been waging a guerrilla war against one business to shut it down. Their target - Darley Oaks Farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire, where guinea pigs are bred for scientific research… A special Money Programme, "The Siege of Darley Oaks Farm", is shown on BBC TWO at 10pm on Monday 25 July (story)
The Sentinel 25.7.05 ANIMAL RIGHTS AND HUMAN WRONGS - For five years, animal rights activists have been waging a guerrilla war against a Staffordshire business. Their target is Darley Oaks Farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire, where guinea pigs are bred for experimentation. The campaign began in 1999, when John Hall and his brother Christopher's farm was raided by the Animal Liberation Front, who claimed that the guinea pigs bred there were kept in appalling conditions - a claim denied by the Halls…. (story)

Western Daily Press 28.7.05 DEFRA SET ON BADGER CULL - It is sad to read yet again that Johnny Kingdom has lost his badger sett at Twitchem, but no surprise that "someone had them as well" (Western Daily Press, July 23). I can almost guarantee that this was the work of Defra trapping badgers again…. I would ask Johnny to look around this area and note if there are any pheasant pens or gamekeepers within the area. I know that these people will inform Defra of any setts, as one of the main reasons for the badger cull is to support the pheasant breeding industry and not, as we are led to believe, to help dairy farmers…. M J Haines Cirencester Gloucestershire (letter)

Northern Echo 28.7.05 No harm to circus animals, says boss - A CIRCUS boss has defended concerns from an animal rights organisation about the way its animals are kept. Peter Jolly's Circus, which is visiting Barnard Castle, County Durham, this week has been criticised by the Captive Animals' Protection Society (Caps) for using animal acts. However, Peter Jolly senior, who runs the circus with his son, also called Peter, has said his animals are treated well…. (story in archive)

Worcester Evening News 28.7.05 No excuse for cruelty - I AM pleased to hear the RSPCA are taking more and more action over cruelty to animals…. J ROSE, Worcester (letter in archive)

VIVA! SLAUGHTERHOUSE LETTER
Worcester Evening News 28.7.05 Impressed by slaughter - I READ Justin Kerswell's letter, concerning the treatment of animals in a north of England slaughterhouse… I was most impressed by the Islamic and Jewish slaughtermen, who showed great respect towards the animals they killed… Unfortunately, some of the antics and bravado displayed by the younger Christian slaughtermen knew no bounds and made me ashamed to be a Christian… L SPITERI, Worcester. (letter in archive)
Wolverhampton Express & Star 15.7.05 Take the vegetarian option - Justin Kerswell, Viva!, Bristol. (letter)
Sunderland Echo 13.7.05 Try going veggie - Justin Kerswell, Campaigner, Viva! (letter)
Bath Chronicle 7.7.05 SAVE LIVES BY GOING VEGGIE - The way animals are killed in slaughterhouses is something most of us don't want to think about but the recent BBC documentary, Slaughterhouse: The Task of Blood (BBC2, July 5) opened the doors on to this little seen industry…. Luckily, each of us has the power to do something about this. By becoming vegetarian we stop supporting this brutal business and reduce the number of animals enduring this fate…. JUSTIN KERSWELL, Campaigner, Viva!, York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol (letter)

Western Gazette 28.7.05 BIRD SHOW IS IN THE CLEAR - A Bird show at the Bath and West Showground has been ruled legal, despite claims by protestors over animal cruelty. An investigation by Mendip District Council into the Festival of Birds, held in April, found accusations by animal rights campaigners were unfounded… (story)

Ealing Times 28.7.05 Animals settle into new Walpole home By Rachel Sixsmith - HEDGEHOGS and foxes were among the wild animals seen by visitors to the Walpole Park animal centre on the first day of its reopening. The centre in the park in Ealing reopened its doors on Saturday after it was saved by the Ealing Times last year…. Now run as an animal hospital by the charity London Wildcare, its trained clinicians are providing full-time care to the animals…. (story)

Western Daily Press 28.7.05 TOUGH JUSTICE FOR PETS THAT SUFFER - Thank you for the recent article about cruelty to animals. Isn't it time that the people who are responsible for this terrible cruelty should be shamed by their faces being shown, so that we all know who they are?... Mrs M Andrews Tewkesbury Gloucestershire (letter)

Scunthorpe Telegraph 28.7.05 WHY SO ANT-I THESE INSECTS? - I Was particularly interested in the article on ants in the Telegraph on July 16. I think they have been given a bad press in the past which, in most cases, has been totally unjustified, as they are great destroyers of harmful pests…. Robin Downs, Berkeley Street, Scunthorpe. (letter)

Western Morning News 27.7.05 SABOTEURS TO KEEP VIDEO WATCH OVER HUNT GROUPS - The Hunt Saboteurs Association is to continue its activities in the Westcountry and retain its title despite the implementation of the Hunting Act. The association held its annual general meeting last weekend and decided that it would "to continue activities against hunts breaking the law or exploiting loopholes"…. Alison Hawes, the South West regional director for the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance, said she was "not surprised" by the decision saying "they were never going to vote themselves out of a job"…. (story)

Western Morning News 27.7.05 FURY OVER DOG BAN ON NEW OPEN AREAS - MARK CLOUGH - Britain's oldest national conservation body, which campaigned for the right to roam under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act, has condemned a decision to ban dogs from new access land on part of Dartmoor… The Dartmoor National Park Association's (DNPA) decision to ban dogs has been "deplored" by the Open Spaces Society (OSS) and the Ramblers' Association… Rodney Legg, chairman of the Open Spaces Society, said: "While we support wildlife conservation and the occasional need to restrict public access for wildlife reasons where that need is proven, we considered that here the case had not been made for such a draconian restriction…" He said it was unfair that the DNPA had not negotiated with landowners to stop the hunt using the land: "Hounds will cause far more damage to wildlife than mere dog-walkers. The Open Spaces Society has no view on hunting, but this is grossly unfair."… (story)

Western Morning News 27.7.05 SHOOTING BODY REVISES LAMPING GUIDELINES - A leading shooting organisation has revised its guidelines on lamping in the wake of the tragic shooting of Byron Evans. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) is now stressing that members of a lamping party should avoid splitting up during an expedition…. BACS spokesman Simon Clarke said: "If you are in doubt do not shoot. You must be absolutely certain that what you are about to fire at is a fox or a rabbit."… (story)
Western Morning News 27.7.05 BEFORE A SHOT IS TAKEN REMEMBER... This is the "lamping code" from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation: You must clearly identify the body of the animal. Never shoot at "a pair of eyes". Always ensure a safe background and clear field of fire. Never shoot towards the crest of a hill or rising ground…. (story)

Aberdeen Press & Journal 27.7.05 TOP HONOUR FOR LEADING LANDOWNER DEER EXPERT - A Moray landowner has received Britain's top honour for deer management. Andrew Yool, 64, from Croy, near Pluscarden, was awarded the Balfour-Browne Trophy from the British Deer Society and the Forestry Commission… He set up classes to teach people how to stalk deer safely and humanely, use the right kind of ammunition and correctly treat carcases before they enter the human food chain…. (story)

Argus 27.7.05 Letter: dentify cruelty - I am writing in response to the article entitled "Cruelty is on the rise"… the reason animal cruelty is on the increase, and still will be even if the RSPCA obtains a new Animal Welfare Bill, is because in Common Law, animals are classed as "property"…. -David Hammond, animal rights spokesperson, Crawley and Horsham Green Party (letter in archive)

Argus 27.7.05 Letter: Pleasant change - It was so nice to read Elizabeth Taylor's poem (Letters, July 19) about the seagulls - so different from the usual letters from people who want to exterminate them…. -Mrs Eileen Laforgue, Brighton (letter in archive)

South Wales Echo 27.7.05 Rid us of this gull 'plague' - In response to Councillor Ralph Cook (Viewpoints, July 20), our streets are very clean compared to most cities but our gull problem is turning into a plague…. Phillip Pedersen, Canton, Cardiff (letter)
South Wales Echo 20.7.05 No humaneway to kill city's gulls - I note that the controversy over what to do about the city's gull 'problem' has resurfaced, with calls upon the council to control (i.e. kill) gulls because of the noise, mess and occasional threat to human happiness that they pose…. The control of gulls is not a specific duty of the council. Killing gulls would arouse considerable hostility from some parts of the community; shooting them risks damage to buildings and any method of control likely to achieve results would be an extremely costly exercise… Coun Ralph Cook Chairman Wales Alliance Against Cruel Sports, Heritage Park, St Mellons, Cardiff (letter)

Carlisle News & Star 27.7.05 Animals must be protected - I AM writing in response to the RSPCA campaign for stronger penalties for animal cruelty. I hope the government listens this time and does something to stop these inhumane acts to poor, defenceless animals who only want to be loved and cared for and in return give you so much… JANICE SPEIRS, Roper Street, Whitehaven (story)

Edinburgh Evening News 27.7.05 Martin's a real dish for veggies - COLDPLAY singer Chris Martin and Carrie Underwood, who won the American Idol crown in May, shared the title of World's Sexiest Vegetarian in animal rights group Peta's annual online poll… (story)

Edinburgh Evening News 27.7.05 Animal abuse is a sad reflection on society - SADLY not enough is being done to tackle the problem of cruelty to animals ("Shocking litany of neglect across the Lothians", News, July 22)…. This disturbing increase in animal abuse is a sad reflection on our society…. Ross Minett, director, Advocates for Animals, Queensferry Street, Edinburgh (letter)

Scunthorpe Telegraph 27.7.05 MP'S NEW ANIMAL BILL INTRODUCES 'CARE DUTY' - A Flagship new law to prevent cruelty to animals is the work of a North Lincolnshire MP and could go before Parliament this year. The Animal Welfare Bill, which has been drafted by Scunthorpe MP Elliot Morley, could be debated by MPs in the current House of Commons session after being held up by the General Election. If successful, the bill would be the most significant piece of legislation since 1911 and would allow authorities to take animals into care on suspicion of mistreatment… (story)

Aberdeen Press & Journal 27.7.05 GET TOUGH ON CRUEL OWNERS - I Was appalled to read in the Evening Express of the increase in cruelty against animals (July 21) by their keepers. I can't see that the sentences being handed down are an effective deterrent for those who are prepared to behave in such a barbaric and inhumane fashion towards innocent creatures…. Dennis Grattan Mugiemoss Road Bucksburn (letter)

Northern Echo 27.7.05 ANIMAL WATCH: IT IS sickening that the RSPCA report reveals that animal cruelty is on the increase… Any form of abuse is unacceptable and one way of getting the message across is to make sure those who mete out cruelty are forced to face the consequences. - Marie Gressmann, Esh Winning (letter in archive)

Leicester Mercury 26.7.05 HEDGECUTTING AWARDS KEEP TRADITIONAL COUNTRY SKILLS ALIVE - Hedgecutting has proved a winning activity for Martin Allen, of Cottesmore. Mr Allen won the class for professionals, plus the overall championship in the Cottesmore Hunt Hedgecutting Society competition… (story)

Western Morning News 26.7.05 SHOW'S CATTLE ENTRIES SURPASS LARGER RIVALS - One of the Westcountry's smallest agricultural shows held its head high yesterday with the entry in some classes surpassing that of much bigger shows. The Woolsery and District Agricultural Show boasted more entries for Devon cattle than there were at the giant Royal Cornwall Show…. One of the highlights of the show for many people attending the event was a parade of four packs of hounds. The hounds came from the Tetcott Hunt, the Stevenstone Hunt, the Devon and Cornwall Minkhounds and the North Dartmoor Beagles…. David Ford, huntsman with the Stevenstone pack, said: "This sort of event is always good to keep us in the public eye…” (story)

Western Morning News 26.7.05 EXCITEMENT AS COUNTDOWN TO SHOW BEGINS - For more than a century, the Holsworthy and Stratton show has been one of the major landmarks of the farming calendar in that remote part of the Westcountry where Devon merges with North Cornwall. This year's show, which takes place on Thursday and runs from 8.30am to 6pm, will be no exception and organisers bill the event as "the show where country meets town"…. In an area where there is still wide opposition to the hunting ban, a parade of hounds from local hunts is likely to be a popular attraction…. (story)

Western Morning News 26.7.05 - Hunting has moved on - I SUSPECT F Cleaves thought he would stir up a hornet's nest by writing an anti-hunt letter (WMN, June 22). I wouldn't mind but it would be nice if if the facts were right.The new anti-hunt laws say that the hunters can flush out the "quarry" with a couple of dogs and shoot it when it is safe to do so… Nobody would think that anti-hunters were animal lovers. To hear them talk you would think that they hated animals. Funny really…. P West, Crediton (letter)

Western Morning News 26.7.05 CLIMATE CHANGE IS FAR FROM A FICTIONAL MATTER - This letter is not one on shooting; rather it is about giving credence to the words of TV celebrities such as David Bellamy. In an article in the WMN, Simon Clarke of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, championing shooting's role in conservation, quoted David Bellamy as saying: "I am convinced that, but for the pheasant, all this beautiful countryside and everything it contains, the flowers, the wildlife and the songbirds, would have disappeared long ago"…. He also recently announced that global warming is fiction. This is when even that previous arch-denier of climate change, George Bush, reluctantly accepted the reality of climate change at the G8 meeting… Perhaps his odd opinions both on climate change, and those on the British landscape and songbirds, should be equally as suspect? Theo Hopkins, Lifton (letter)

Gloucester Citizen 26.7.05 SHOCK ON BIRDS - I Haven't seen the birds of prey in Gloucester Market (Letters, July 20), so can't comment on their condition etc…. I doubt if there is anything the RSPCA can do. I know from literature they are not in favour of falconry. PAMELA DEAN, Field Road, Whiteshill (story)
Gloucester Citizen 20.7.05 HOW WOULD HE LIKE TETHERING? - How would the owner of those beautiful birds of prey that he has on show in the Eastgate Market like to be tethered and perched on a wooden bar? Some coming along to clean his feet with a toothbrush now and again, would he like it?.... My means of expressing my feelings is to stand and glare at the man and have much pleasure when he looks very ill at ease. There are other ways, we know, but I seem to be the only disapproving one there. MRS PEGGY ALBERTS, Sherborne Street, Gloucester (story)

Western Morning News 26.7.05 Research doubts - WELL, who was surprised to read (WMN, June 10) that new doubts were raised about the safety of commonly used painkillers which have been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks? It's one drug after another… I prefer to believe John Beresford when he wrote drugs "always have a level of adverse reactions". All this is after animal tests as well as human clinical trials…. Louise Piddington, Plymouth (story)

Lincolnshire Echo 26.7.05 PERSECUTED PIGEONS - The city's environmental health department (July 19) has previously claimed not to have resorted to culling. It has obviously changed its policy and I shall take issue with it regarding this cruelty… I agree with the comments of Tracey Kissin. Pigeons are God's creatures in the same way as swans, cormorants and every other species…. Speciesism is an unsavoury aspect of human nature as is murdering animals en masse just because you don't happen to think that they deserve to be in existence. RACHEL ASTILL-DUNSEITH Lincoln. (letter)

Lincolnshire Echo 19.7.05 ARE THESE PIGEONS A BIG PROBLEM? …. They are all God's creatures and I'm sure they have a purpose. They are a bit annoying - fouling everywhere, but that's no reason to cull them. Tracey Kissin (32), nurse, Lincoln (story)

Manchester Evening News 26.7.05 Laws needed - THE recent TV documentary about an Oldham slaughterhouse showed horrific cruelty to animals… It is patently obvious that the laws for the protection of animals need tightening up. JL, Manchester (story)

KATE HOEY APPOINTED COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE CHAIRMAN
BBC News Online 25.7.05 Hoey to lead Countryside Alliance - Former Labour sports minister Kate Hoey has been named the new chairman of the Countryside Alliance. Ms Hoey, 59, a long-standing defender of hunting, said the appointment was a "great honour and a great challenge"…. Labour's Baroness Golding, co-chair of the Middle Way Group, said: "Kate has the courage and independence of mind that will, I'm sure, see the ridiculous Hunting Act amended to a sensible and proper animal welfare law."… (story)
Telegraph 23.7.05 Inner-city pro-hunt MP Hoey to lead countryside alliance - Kate Hoey, the pro-hunting, inner-city Labour MP, is to be chairman of the Countryside Alliance, it was announced at the Game Fair yesterday. Supporters of fox hunting said that it was an appointment likely to cause discomfort on the Labour benches, where the vast majority of MPs are pro-ban…. Lembit Opik, the Lib Dem MP and a fellow founder of the Middle Way Group which supports the freedom to hunt under regulation, said her appointment was bound to cause discomfort to "Labour's hunt ban fanatics". "Kate is to Labour what Boudicca was to the Romans," he said. "She'll put up with a certain amount of nonsense at a distance but now the hunting ban has gone through she's decided it's time to get into her chariot and lead the charge…” (story)
Independent 23.7.05 Hoey heading bid to topple foxhunt ban By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor - The pro-hunting Countryside Alliance has named Kate Hoey, the outspoken former Labour sports minister, as its new chairman. Her appointment will be used by the Alliance to shed some of its tweedy image and regain support at Westminster to reopen the issue after the defeat on hunting…. (story)
Mirror 23.7.05 TALLY HOEY - Meet the Labour MP for the inner city seat of Vauxhall.. and the new chair of the Countryside Alliance By Rosa Prince Political Correspondent - LABOUR rebel Kate Hoey yesterday became chair of the Countryside Alliance. The job puts the keen fox hunter in even more stark opposition to most of her party. The 59-year-old has been MP for the inner city area of Vauxhall in South London since 1989, but grew up in rural Northern Ireland…. (story)
Mirror 23.7.05 VAUX HUNTING - VAUXHALL is an inner-city Parliamentary constituency scarred by serious social and economic problems… Fox-hunting is not on the list, which is why eyebrows were raised at Vauxhall Labour MP Kate Hoey's decision to accept the chairmanship of the rabidly pro-hunting Countryside Alliance. Fox hunting is banned in law and we think "Tally Hoey" could better spend her time dealing with issues of interest to her constituents instead of trying to bring back blood sports…. (story)
Western Morning News 23.7.05 ALLIANCE TOP JOB FOR EX-MINISTER - Former Labour Sports Minister Kate Hoey has been appointed as the new chairman of the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance, as the organisation digs in for a long fight against the Government's hunting ban… (story)
Guardian 22.7.05 Hoey appointed chair of Countryside Alliance - Ros Taylor - Kate Hoey, the Labour MP for Vauxhall and longtime supporter of foxhunting, has been appointed chairman of the Countryside Alliance…. Miss Hoey, Labour minister of sport from 1999 to 2001, will join the Labour peer Baroness Mallalieu, who is already president of the organisation, and the Conservative peer Lord Mancroft, who becomes deputy chairman… She will take up the post at the Countryside Alliance in the autumn… (story)
Horse & Hound 22.7.05 Hoey is new Countryside Alliance chairman - Holly Kirkwood - The Countryside Alliance announced today that Kate Hoey is to be its new Chairman as of this autumn, taking over from John Jackson. Hoey, a Labour MP since 1989, was brought up in rural Northern Ireland and has a long standing interest in rural and environmental issues….. (story)
Politics.co.uk 22.7.05 Countryside Alliance: Hoey new Alliance Chairman - Kate Hoey MP will become Chairman of the Countryside Alliance in succession to John Jackson. Lord Mancroft will become deputy Chairman. They will take up these positions in the autumn…. (story)

Guardian 25.7.05 Grand designs - Sam Wollaston - The last in Channel 4's three programmes about our class system was always going to be the most amusing…. Our guide this time is newspaper journalist James Delingpole, whose teeth are better suited to newspaper journalism than to television, but who otherwise seems like a thoroughly genial sort of chap… With the Cotswold Hunt, he can't hide his admiration for the haughty folk on horses in all their finery, though he almost blows it when the fox he spots turns out to be a hare…. (story)

PAMPLONA BULL RUN PROTESTS
Nottingham Evening Post 25.7.05 STRIP PROTEST OVER BULL RUN - Fashion designer Beth Hewis joined 600 people in a naked race in Spain to demonstrate an alternative to bull running. The 29-year-old from West Bridgford took part in the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) human race through Pamplona… (story)
Plymouth Evening Herald 21.7.05 NAKED AMBITION - HANNAH WOOD - Two Plymouth women ran nearly naked through the streets of Spain to protest against the mistreatment of bulls. With 600 others, many wearing only red scarves and plastic horns, Sarah Hobson and Debbie Trench stripped off and streaked through Pamplona as part of a naked human race to expose cruelty behind the annual bull run in the same northern Spanish city…. Animal lover Debbie has four dogs, a cat and two guinea pigs and does a lot of leafleting for animal rights protest groups. She works for the Royal Mail in Plymstock…. (story)
Exeter Express & Echo 16.7.05 NAKED DEMONSTRATOR TOLD TO COVER UP - A devon animal lover who pledged to run naked through the streets of a Spanish town had her blushes spared when the mayor ordered a cover up. Nurse Louise Pritchard, 35, from Tipton St John, near Sidmouth, joined more than 600 members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protesting about the cruelty of the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona…. (story)
Reading Chronicle 14.7.05 'Nude runner' narrowly escapes bomb By Rachel Whybrow - TILEHURST woman Jo Edwards returned from a protest against the Pamplona bull run in Spain and came within seconds of perishing in the King's Cross underground blast. The 20-year-old from Somerset Walk had taken a semi-clad role in the Running of the Nudes alternative to the main event - highlighting cruelty to the bulls as they race through the streets…. (story)
Bromley Times 14.7.05 Animal rights campaigners make a stand - AN ANIMAL rights campaigner joined hundreds of nude runners as an alternative to a Spanish bull race. Sophie Pritchard, from Orpington, travelled to Pamplona in Spain for the humane version of the 'Running of the Bulls.'… (story)
Belfast Telegraph 11.7.05 'Naked truth' about bull run By Lisa Smyth - AN Ulster woman has joined hundreds of animal lovers from around the globe in an attempt to end the annual 'Running of the Bulls' event in Spain. Heather McGarrigle stripped off and ran through the streets of Pamplona in her bikini with over 700 almost-nude PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) supporters at the 'Running of the Nudes' protest…. The 21-year-old barmaid said she was prompted to take part in the extreme protest in an effort to persuade local people that there is an alternative to the age-old tradition…. (story)
Bristol Evening Post 11.7.05 GIRL'S NUDE PROTEST AT BULL-RUNNING - A 15-year-old from Bristol who took part in a naked race as part of a campaign against bull fighting in Spain has said the event was well worth the effort - and the sunburn. Sarah Buck went out to the annual event in Pamplona, called the Running of the Bulls, with her mother, Elizabeth, as part of a protest that has been held for the last three years called the Running of the Nudes…. (story)
Western Daily Press 7.7.05 TAKING ON THE BULLFIGHTERS - Several hundred animal rights activists - some in their underwear - marched through Pamplona's streets to protest at bullfighting on the eve of the city's running of the bulls…. (story)
Crouch End Times 7.7.05 Naked runners well received - There were smiles, flowers and a big band to accompany the running of the nudes', as they charged through the streets of Pamplona, Spain, two days before the Running of the Bulls. Crouch End resident Deborah Espect joined an estimated 600 people in the run, organised by animal rights campaign group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)…. (story)
Huddersfield Daily Examiner 6.7.05 Women at bullfight protest - SEVERAL hundred animal rights activists - some in their underwear - marched through the streets of Pamplona to protest at bullfighting… Sisters Sabina and Tricia Arthur, of Milnsbridge, aged 24 and 20 , were joined by Huddersfield University student Gurj Bains, 19 (story)
Aberdeen Press & Journal 6.7.05 'NUDE' SCOT IN SPANISH BULLFIGHTING PROTEST - Thurso animal rights campaigner Joanne Sim was among more than 600 who took part in an anti-bullfighting demonstration through the centre of Pamplona yesterday… Ms Sim, a full-time worker with Edinburgh-based Advocates for Animals, has featured in several high-profile demos since joining the organisation a year ago…. Ms Sim was in the news when she joined a protest at the last Crufts dog show in Birmingham. She has also protested outside the Canadian consulate in Edinburgh about seal culls in Canada (story)
BBC News Online 5.7.05 Protesters strip against bull run - Hundreds of animal rights campaigners, some of them in underwear, have held a protest against bull-fighting in Pamplona, northern Spain… Protesters had planned to march completely nude as in a previous protest, but did not get the necessary permit from the town hall… (story)
Scotsman 5.7.05 Hundreds protest over bullfighting - Several hundred animal rights activists - some in their underwear - marched through the streets of Pamplona to protest against bullfighting on the eve of the Spanish city's wildly popular running of the bulls… (story)
Bristol Evening Post 5.7.05 THE SERIOUS POINT BEHIND MY NUDE PROTEST - Fiona Brazier, Redland. (letter)
Crouch End Times 30.6.05 Campaign highlights terrible suffering of bulls in Pamplona - Deborah Espect, Glebe Road, Crouch End (letter)
Huddersfield Daily Examiner 30.6.05 Naked runners sprint to Spain - THREE Huddersfield women are preparing to run naked through Spanish streets in protest at the country's treatment of bulls. Edgerton student Gurj Bains and Milnsbridge sisters Sabina and Tricia Arthur will be joining the ``running of the nudes" protest in Pamplona, north-east Spain, next Tuesday…. (story)
Hendon Times 30.6.05 Campaign highlights terrible suffering of bulls in Pamplona - Deborah Espect, Glebe Road, Crouch End (letter)
Bromley Extra 30.6.05 Naked protest at Running of the Bulls - A YOUNG woman is grabbing the bull by the horns in an outrageous attempt to stamp out The Running of the Bulls in Spain. Sophie Pritchard decided she could no longer turn the other cheek and ignore the traditional bull run and bull fights and is joining an annual Running of the Nudes protest…. (story)
Bexley Times/Express 30.6.05 A serious message behind my blushes - Sophie Pritchard, Maple Close, Petts Wood (letter)
Cambridge Evening News 29.6.05 Protesters bare all to end bull torment - NAKED runners will race through the streets of Pamplona in Spain to protest against bullfighting - and a family from Huntingdonshire are set to join them. Gary and Amanda James and their two daughters, Chloe and Lucy, will join an estimated 600 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) supporters from around the world in the fourth annual Human Race on Tuesday, July 5…. (story)
Bristol Evening Post 27.6.05 ANIMAL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER WILL BARE ALL TO PROTEST AT BULL FIESTA - A Redland woman is getting ready to run naked through the streets of a Spanish town. Fiona Brazier is taking part in the Running of the Nudes - an event that aims to expose and end the cruelty behind the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona…. Also taking part in the Running of the Nudes will be 15-year-old Sarah Buck, from Kingswood. As reported in the Evening Post, her mum Elizabeth will cheer on her daughter, who will be wearing little more than a red scarf and plastic horns…. (story)
Hastings Observer 25.6.05 Ivan's naked ambition - WHEN a man takes off all his clothes, fixes fake horns to his head and runs through the streets of a famous European city, he's either barking mad or he's trying to make a very serious point. Ivan Durch, of Wishing Tree Road, St Leonards, is definitely not deranged and he does have a message to get across - although he's not particularly relishing doing it. For office worker Ivan, 31, is planning to join an estimated 600 animal rights protestors in their fourth annual 'Human Race' on July 5… (story)
South Wales Evening Post 25.6.05 BULL RUN IS BLOODY FARCE - The annual Pamplona Bull Run that the so-called dare-devils from Killay are participating in is a farce…. I applaud the likes of Robert Lewis from Swansea and other Peta supporters who are trying to save these poor animals… A Alden, Thurso, Caithness, Scotland (letter)
Burnley Express 24.6.05 Family's naked ambition! - DETERMINATION and naked ambition will drive on a Burnley family in its attempt to have cruel sports banned. Mr Vernon Stuttard, his wife Roz, their children Ian and Chris and friend Alex Catterall will bare all in Pamplona, Spain, in protest at the town's annual Running of the Bulls. The family of vegans from Fence will join 600 volunteers from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) as part of its fourth annual "human race" on July 5th…. (story)
Limerick Post 24.6.05 Limerick man joins nude race in Spain - A LIMERICK Animal activist is to take part in a "Running of the Nudes” demonstration in Pamplona, Spain, next month, in an effort "to expose and end the cruelty behind the annual Bull Run”. John Carmody from Raheen joins an estimated 600 PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) supporters from around the world who will run through the streets of Pamplona – most of them wearing nothing more than red scarves and plastic horns…. Mr Carmody, spokesperson for Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) will also be bringing two other Limerick natives with him to Spain, ARAN members Siobhan Higgins and Shane Kelly…. (story)
Exeter Express & Echo 24.6.05 JOIN ME ON SPAIN BULL RUN PROTEST - When I run wearing little more than a red scarf in PETA's Human Race… Louise Pritchard, Address withheld on request (letter)
Yorkshire Post 24.6.05 Naked anger at bullfighting From: Sabina Arthur, Milnsbridge, Huddersfield. WHEN I run wearing little more than a red scarf in PETA's "Human Race", an event to protest the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain, my face may turn as red as my scarf – but I'll easily forget my embarrassment when I think of the terror and suffering that the bulls face… (letter)
Bromley Times 23.6.05 Why I'll strip for the bulls - An animal-rights campaigner is ready to join hundreds of nude runners wearing only red scarves and plastic bull horns. Sophie Pritchard, 28, of Maple Close, Orpington, is due to join about 600 runners supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Pamplona, Spain, on July 5…. (story)
Crouch End Times 23.6.05 Naked ambition at bull festival By Shyamtara Ni Fhoghlu - Never mind going to Pamplona to see the Running of the Bulls, why not go to watch the Running of the Nudes instead? Crouch End animal rights activist Deborah Espect is on her way to the Spanish city next month to protest minus her clothes against its biggest tourist attraction…. "I'm quite involved in animal rights and I do a lot of demonstrations, but it is a bit scary," she said…. (story)
The Comet 23.6.05 Family join protest over bulls - A single mother and her two children are set to take the great bull festival in Pamplona, Spain, by the horns before the stampede has started! Coral Putman and daughters Aisha, nine, and Bronwyn, 12, from Ripon Road, Stevenage, have volunteered to be part of the naked Human Race around the Spanish town on July 5, two days before the annual running of the bulls…. The Putmans, though, will be keeping their dignity covered up with long white shirts… (story)
Western Telegraph 23.6.05 Sally to bare all in bull run protest by Julie Taylor - A PEMBROKE woman will be baring all for her beliefs as she runs through Spanish streets wearing nothing but a red scarf and plastic horns!... PETA member Sally Roberts, of the Grove area of Pembroke, will join an estimated 600 people for the event on July 5th…. (story in archive)
Oldham Chronicle 22.6.05 Naked desire to be in Pamplona by CAROLYN ARMSTRONG - ANTI-CRUELTY protesters from Oldham are to bare all in a bid to end a Spanish festival they claim causes the needless injury and death to bulls. Students Claire Ashworth (21) and Steven Rowlinson (23), who are both from Royton, will shed their clothes and join up to 600 supporters of animal rights group PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — for the Running of the Nudes through Pamplona in Northern Spain on July 5…. Claire, who is about to graduate from Salford University, said: “I’m very strong on the view that animals should not be used for human purposes…." (story probably only on site for a day)
Yorkshire Post 21.6.05 BULL-PROTEST WOMEN TO RUN NUDE - Amy Binns - A GROUP of Yorkshire women are planning a spectacular protest against bullfighting – by stripping naked and running through the streets of a Spanish town…. Although some runners opt to wear white bikinis, Sabina Arthurs, of Brighouse, said she planned to strip completely… Gurt Bains, a Huddersfield University student, is going back for her second year at the event, known as the "Human Race"… (story)
Edinburgh Evening News 17.6.05 We'll show our tough streak to save bulls - ALAN RODEN AND NICOLA STOW - FOR most people, the thought of being seen naked in public is an embarrassing prospect. But two Edinburgh women are prepared to throw caution to the wind and let bare all - to prevent cruelty to bulls…. Yvonne Taylor, 33, and Joanne Sim, 20, are to streak through the cobbled streets of Pamplona wearing nothing but plastic horns on their heads and red scarves around their necks. They will join hundreds of other People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) supporters to take part in the human stampede, just two days before the city's annual Running of the Bulls…. (story)
Exeter Express & Echo or Plymouth Evening Herald 17.6.05 NUDES GOING ON BULL RUN - An animal lover from Devon is preparing to bare all and run through the streets of the Spanish town famous for it annual running of the bulls festival. Louise Pritchard, of Tipton St John, near Sidmouth, will be joining an estimated 600 people in Pamplona for a Running of the Nudes on July 5… (story)
Aberdeen Press & Journal 17.6.05 SCOTSWOMAN READY TO BARE ALL IN PROTEST AT SPANISH TOWN'S BULL RUN - IAIN GRANT - A Young Caithness woman is to bare all during a mass animal cruelty protest on the eve of the annual Pamplona bull run in Spain. Joanne Sim of Thurso is to represent Advocates for Animals in a naked run through the Pyrenees town on July 5. It is the latest high-profile demo in which the 21-year-old has become involved since starting work with the charity last August…. (story)
South Wales Evening Post 16.6.05 PROTESTING IN NUDE - A Swansea man is to stage a nude protest to expose the cruelty behind a Spanish city's bull run. Derrick McBrier will join an estimated 600 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) supporters from around the world in the demo…. Tribute has been paid to Mr McBrier, of High View, Mayhill, by Peta director of European Campaigns Sean Gifford…. (story)

Torquay Herald Express 25.7.05 GREYHOUND CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS - Greyhound Action had a terrific response from the public on July 2 when it campaigned in Exeter against the William Hill Greyhound Derby held on the same day…. J T RIDGLEY, Plymouth Road, Totnes (story)

Oxford Mail 25.7.05 Police blast at lab protest - Oxford's police commander has criticised animal rights protestors for demonstrating in the city centre at a time he said officers should be dealing with issues of national security…. Police estimate that approximately 600 protesters participated in the march -- Speak put the figure at closer to 1,000…. Only two arrests for public order offences -- a 47-year-old man and a 66-year-old man -- were made during the three-hour march, which started and finished at Oxpens… (story in archive)
BBC News Online 22.7.05 March against Oxford animal lab - Animal rights activists are to march through Oxford on Saturday in protest at a new animal testing laboratory. The rally, organised by the pressure group SPEAK, is expected to be the biggest since Oxford University announced plans for the £18m centre…. (story)

Manchester Evening News 25.7.05 Welfare plea over supermarket chickens - AMMONIA skin burns are found on 82% of chickens sold on supermarket shelves and reared to industry standards, according to animal welfare campaigners… The research carried out by Professor Donald Broom and Nadine Reefmann, of Cambridge University, will be featured in a Channel 4 documentary later this month. It is part of a report released today by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on how chickens are reared for their meat…. (story)

MOON BEARS
Western Daily Press 25.7.05 HOW MISERY TURNS TO JOY AT SANCTUARY - Last week, I spoke about some of my favourite bears in a very special enclosure in our China Bear Rescue Sanctuary for those poor loves who are physically challenged as a result of their unimaginable suffering on the bear farms of China… (story)
Western Daily Press 25.7.05 CHANCE TO MEET JILL, THE ANIMALS' FRIEND - Their plight has touched the hearts of readers throughout the West - now you have the chance to meet the woman who has d evoted her life to saving China's bile bears. Jill Robinson, founder of Animals Asia Foundation, will be holding a talk at a Chinese restaurant in Bristol in September and is hoping to raise more support for our staggeringly successful appeal, it emerged last night… (story)
Western Daily Press 25.7.05 TICKET TALK - To obtain a ticket for Jill's talk in Bristol, contact Dave Neale… (story)
Western Daily Press 25.7.05 DES KEEPS BEAR PLEDGE - When he first heard about the agonising treatment of China's bile bears, Des Jefferies was horrified. "I was watching a documentary about them and I was shocked that the bears were so cramped that bars from their cages were growing into their skin," said the Bristol businessman… (story)

Western Daily Press 25.7.05 LOCAL COUNCIL ARE CULPRITS - The comment about the donkeys on Weston-superMare beach written by Jean Turner is typical of these donkey ride people, interested only in how much money these animals can earn them, with no regard for the welfare of the donkeys…. Well done, Jean Turner, for bringing this to the attention of the public. A pity more people from the region have not done the same. Keep up the good work. R Williams Ross-on-Wye Hereford (letter)
Western Daily Press 19.7.05 SHOCKED BY DONKEY WORK Last Tuesday last we paid a visit to Weston-super-Mare. Our day was completely ruined by the sight of the donkeys toiling up and down the beach. The heat was blistering, and not a scrap of shade to be seen. Isn't it time the powers that be in Weston put an end to such abuse of these gentle creatures?... Jean Turner Plympton (letter)

Daily Record 25.7.05 DON'T LET EXOTIC ANIMALS SUFFER - WHO can blame Harry the African grey parrot for escaping from his owner's garden last week? This beautiful, intelligent animal belongs in the African tree tops, flying around freely with fellow parrots. Sadly he has instead been imprisoned in a metal cage for 30 years…. Ross Minett,by email (letter)

Edinburgh Evening News 25.7.05 Animal thefts are on the increase - THE sad and ultimately lethal theft of Olly the Yorkshire terrier (News, July 21) is the latest in an increasing number of thefts of dogs and cats in the Edinburgh area. Advocates for Animals urges readers not to leave animals tied up or out of sight - even for a short time…. Ross Minett, director, Advocates for Animals, Queensferry Street, Edinburgh (letter)

Lincolnshire Echo 25.7.05 LET'S TRY 'LIVE AND LET LIVE' WITH RABBITS - I Used to think this country a nation of animal lovers, but after recent letters it is no surprise cases of cruelty have risen. First people were complaining about ducks in their gardens, and now people say wild rabbits should be culled…. Why should innocent creatures, who never harm any other animal, have to be killed? MR P. A. TURNERLakeview Road, Lincoln. (letter)

Wales on Sunday 24.7.05 THE League Against Cruel Sports warmly welcomes the latest move by Welsh Environment Minister, Carwyn Jones AM, to guarantee the protection of Welsh wildlife… Mike Hobday, League Against Cruel Sports (letter)
South Wales Echo 21.7.05 Hunting decision is welcomed - The League Against Cruel Sports warmly welcomes the latest move by Welsh Environment Minister, Carwyn Jones, to guarantee the protection of Welsh wildlife…. Mike Hobday, Head of Public Affairs, League Against Cruel Sports, London (letter)

Western Morning News 23.7.05 SHOOTING - The recent furore about the Devon and Somerset Staghounds "flushing" deer shows just how hypocritical the League Against Cruel Sports is. I have long made the league aware that I allow my dogs to flush out deer on a regular basis… The league has known this for some time and has done nothing about it. It refuses to take any action to force me to start shooting the deer that I flush out with my dogs, even though they claim to support the law that demands it… The Devon and Somerset Staghounds are perfectly within their rights to chase the deer with their dogs until it is standing at bay and then to shoot it. If they did not do this then the deer would escape unharmed and that is illegal. Giles Bradshaw, Rose Ash, Devon (letter)

Leicester Mercury 23.7.05 FUNDS RAISED - Leicestershire Vegetarian and Vegan Group would like to thank all those that helped to raise £25 for Hillside Animal Sanctuary and £35 for the League Against Cruel Sports at its last meeting…. Kaye Axon, Leicester. (story)

Scotsman 23.7.05 'Animal terrorists' in bid to ban shooting - VIC ROBERTSON - CAMPAIGNERS lobbying for a ban on the use of guns in rural sports were labelled "animal terrorists" by a former Labour agriculture minister yesterday. Lord Donoughue warned that landowners had a window of ten years or less to mount a counter campaign to ensure that shooting did not follow hunting into the list of banned activities. "But I think that seven years is the critical period," he told a game shooting seminar at the Country Land and Business Association's annual Game Fair at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire… (story)

Guardian 23.7.05 Moral maze - The son of European Jews who moved to Australia to escape the Nazis, Peter Singer studied philosophy in Melbourne before moving to Oxford. He campaigned against cruelty to animals, arguing that ethics should be applied to everyday problems. His utilitarian views attracted death threats from 'pro-life' groups on his appointment to Princeton - Stuart Jeffries (story)

VIVA LIVE 8 LETTER
Western Daily Press 23.7.05 ANIMAL FOODS ARE BIG WASTE - John Tuck Wootton (Your Say, July 20) has got one thing right, the purpose of the Bristol based organisation Viva! is to promote ve getarianism. However, we do this for purely altruistic reasons: helping to end the suffering of the 52billion animals killed for meat in the world yearly… Justin Kerswell, Campaigner, Viva! Bristol (letter)
Western Daily Press 20.7.05 WEST VALUES FUEL CASH CROPS TRADE - The purpose of the organisation Viva is to promote vegetarianism, and its spokespersons will therefore grasp at any opportunity to further their cause which is, I assume, why Justin Kerswell wilfully misrepresents my opinions (Your Say, July 14). Farmers in the Third World grow crops primarily to feed their own populations and for cash to provide the things they cannot grow…. I have no problem with principled vegetarianism, but I am opposed to those who manipulate and spin the facts for their own purposes. John Tuck Wootton Bassett Swindon (letter)
Western Daily Press 14.7.05 WE CAN ALL TAKE EASY CHOICE TO GO VEGGIE AND SAVE PLANET - John Tuck Wootton (Your Say, July 7) is clearly missing the point. Viva! has never said that vegetarianism is a magic wand that will remove the curse of poverty from the developing world… Mr Wootton is also fudging the issue to claim that animal waste is beneficial to the environment. Perhaps it is in small amounts, but the 13billion tonnes of animal manure produced annually is one of the main causes of environmental destruction. So cutting out meat can do more to stop global warming than cutting down on oil and coal. Justin Kerswell Viva!, Bristol (letter)
Western Daily Press 7.7.05 BEING VEGGIE WILL NOT HELP - The Viva! campaigner (Your Say, July 2) is labouring under a misapprehension. Vegetarianism is not a magic wand that will remove the curse of poverty from the poor and oppressed nations of the Third World. Justin Kerswell starts from the false premise that farmers in the Third World grow crops for animal feed. They actually grow crops for cash, to buy things like tools, and clothes and education for their children and, of course, to repay debt…. I have a favourite dictum that applies here, namely that "anyone who claims to have the answer hasn't understood the question" and Mr Kerswell's comments fall into that category. John Tuck Wootton Bassett Swindon (letter)
Western Daily Press 2.7.05 GOING VEGGIE CAN HELP MAKE POVERTY A THING OF THE PAST - Justin Kerswell, Viva! Campaigner, Bristol (letter)
Bath Chronicle 1.7.05 GO VEGGIE AND HELP THE WORLD - JUSTIN KERSWELL, Campaigner, Viva, York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH (letter)
Gloucester Citizen 1.7.05 GO VEGGIE TO END POVERTY - Viva! wholeheartedly supports the aims of Live 8, to call on the leaders of the world's richest countries to put an end to poverty and debt. However, there is something every single person can do to make a real difference to people in the developing world - and that is to go vegetarian…. JUSTIN KERSWELL, Campaigner, Viva! (letter)

THREAT TO STAG HUNTING
Western Morning News 22.7.05 FORCE'S APPROACH TO DEER HUNTING WILL STAY THE SAME - The approach to policing deer hunting in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area is unlikely to be changed by this week's ruling from Animal Welfare Minister Ben Bradshaw, that it was illegal to pursue deer with two hounds, it emerged yesterday. The force said it would continue to follow the terms of the Hunting Act and police hunting as a wildlife crime…. (story)
Western Morning News 21.7.05 NEW RULES TO HALT HUNTING - Fury as Minister says chasing deer with two hounds is illegal - Fury as Minister says chasing deer with two hounds is illegal - A new battle was looming over hunting last night after animal welfare minister Ben Brad shaw ruled it was illegal to pursue deer with two hounds ? a practice thought by stag hunters to be lawful under the recently intro duced legislation…. The League claims hunt packs are sending out pairs of hounds to flush out deer, then recalling one pair and sending out another when the dogs tire. Diana Scott, joint-master of the Devon and Som erset Staghounds, said the term ?relay hunting? was invented by hunt opponents and did not reflect the hunt?s practice…. Tim Layman, secretary of Tiverton Staghounds, said: ?The League Against Cruel Sports are constantly making threats and it is very rarely they can substantiate anything…" Paul Tillsley, spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports in the Westcountry, said the police should now look again at video evidence submitted to them earlier this year… (story)
Western Daily Press 20.7.05 STAGHUNTING AGAINST THE LETTER OF LAW - A Bombshell letter could effectively put an end to staghunting in the West, it was claimed yesterday. The letter, from Defra Minister Ben Bradshaw, makes it clear that the 'relay' method of hunting, which several stag hunts have employed since February's ban, is itself illegal…. Hunts like the Devon and Somerset Staghounds have got around the hunting ban by pursuing stags with two hounds at a time, with the main pack held back… A Devon member of the League Against Cruel Sports wrote to Mr Bradshaw for clarification, and to demand the loophole be closed with an amendment to the Hunting Act. But the minister said the law was clear - using two hounds in relay to chase, rather than flush, prey was illegal (story)

West Cumberland Times & Star 22.7.05 Show is even easier to get to - IT’S ONE of the county’s oldest agricultural shows and this year it is hoping to attract even more visitors than last year’s record-breaking event. Cockermouth Show dates back to 1849 and last year’s event attracted a record 12,000 people to its site at The Fitz…. Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling will again be an attraction, as will the sheep shearing demonstration, foxhounds, pony club gymkhana and sheepdog and duck displays, while the terrier racing always causes a great deal of amusement…. (story)

Wells Journal 28.7.05 RIGHT OR WRONG TO HUNT - What "right" are the pro-hunt lobby defending when they challenge the Hunting Act on a "human rights" basis? They are not pursuing a "private activity" at home…. The predominance of constituencies retaining or gaining MPs representing parties supporting the Hunting Act in the General Election plainly indicates that it is in the public interest to keep these archaic blood sports illegal. Katherine Watson, Rushton Drive, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire (story)

Exeter Express & Echo 22.7.05 POSITIVE OPINION OF DOG RACING - Yet again, as a northerner reading your newspaper, I am dismayed by the level of feeling evident in the southern counties regarding the greyhound racing industry. Readers' letters are cropping up on a regular basis in several local newspapers and all, apart from mine, have a depressingly negative tone. This, I believe, is a reaction by readers to the recent demonstrations organised by Greyhound Action…. I defy anyone to say that these wonderful dogs do not enjoy racing. They love to race. They are born to race. Nature is the ultimate test of durability…. Phill Kettle, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (story)
Exeter Express & Echo 18.7.05 GREYHOUNDS IN NEED OF RESCUE - It was good to see in your pages the subject of cruelty that greyhounds suffer…. Should anyone feel that they would like to find out more, the local rescue is organised by Sally Slater of Greyhound Compassion on 01404 861228, and she would be delighted to talk to you with no obligation. Mrs E Nethercott, Exminster, Exeter (letter)

HERTFORD COLLEGE BOATHOUSE ARSON
Oxford Mail 22.7.05 University gets terror warning - Animal rights' activists have warned Oxford University that it is under constant threat of attack if it continues work on its animal research laboratory. Following an arson attack on a college boathouse earlier this month, for which the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) claimed responsibility, the group has now renewed its threat…. A University spokesman said: "We are appalled by the contents of a statement concerning the fire in an Oxford college boathouse on Monday, July 4. The intimidating nature of this message is totally unacceptable…." (story in archive)
Guardian 21.7.05 Animal militants set fire to Oxford boathouse - Sandra Laville - Animal rights extremists are claiming responsibility for an arson attack on an Oxford University boathouse which caused an estimated £500,000 worth of damage… In the latest assault 24 rowing boats were destroyed and much of the interior of the Hertford College boathouse at Oxford University was damaged after arsonists broke into the riverside building and poured about 11 litres (2.42 gallons) of petrol over the property inside…. In a posting yesterday on the Bite Back magazine website, the Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the raid… (story)
Times 21.7.05 Animal activists claim boathouse arson attack BY TOSIN SULAIMAN - AN ANIMAL RIGHTS group has said that it was behind an arson attack on an Oxford University boathouse, it emerged last night. The Animal Liberation Front said in a posting on its website that it had carried out the attack on Hertford College boathouse, The Guardian reported… (story)
Sutton Coldfield Observer 21.7.05 ARSON 'WILL NOT DETER UNIVERSITY' - Oxford University has vowed to press on with building a controversial research centre after animal rights extremists claimed responsibility for an arson attack on a college boathouse… (story)
Oxford Mail 12.7.05 `Animal lab will be built' pledge by Staff reporter - Oxford University today (Tuesday, July 12) fired a defiant message to vandals trying to stop the construction of its animal research laboratory - "We are committed to saving lives and we will open." The university spoke out after it emerged animal rights' extremists are believed to be responsible for an arson attack at a college boathouse last week…. Speak -- the non-violent organisation that has led opposition to the Oxford laboratory -- condemned the actions of the arsonists…. (story in archive)

Western Daily Press 22.7.05 STOP BARBARIC ANIMAL TESTS - Richard Dixey would would have us believe ("Activists are missing the point", July 11) that with no further developments of medicines or safety testing on animals we run the risk of another thalidomide. I find it very disturbing that, given Dr Dixey's position, he is unaware that this drug was safely tested on animals, and tests multiplied as a consequence of the thalidomide tragedy. In my opinion, Dr Dixey's point of view in support of vivisection is nothing more than scaremongering… Forty people are killed every day by medical drugs, and vivisection, by its very nature, is barbaric and undercover. We must use humane testing. Janet Hall Cirencester Gloucestershire (letter)

Lincolnshire Echo 22.7.05 FENCING BETTER THAN FEROCITY TO CURB RABBITS - At Bracebridge Heath it is said rabbits on the playing field at St John's Primary School are digging up not only the field but the neighbouring gardens (July 16). Firstly, to say "cull them all" is a cruel and ill conceived proposition, showing the same sentiment as the person who invented myxomatosis… I think that to suggest killing these creatures en masse in times of ubiquitous violence sends out a cruel and senseless message to the children of not only the school in question but to all young people…. RACHEL ASTILL-DUNSEITH Lincoln
I am horrified that Lincoln City Council is spending my council tax on a useless and cruel practice of trying to cull the pigeon population (July 19). Having spoken to Pigeon Control Advisory Service (Picas), I find there are alternative humane ways of reducing the pigeon population in the city centre…. JACKIE BURLISON Lincoln. (letters)