2.2.1 Just as anglers are in a unique position to monitor the health of our waterways, hunting people are in a similar position to observe changes in wildlife demographics, as highlighted, prior to the Hunting Act 2004, by John Webster, Emeritus Professor of Animal Husbandry at Bristol University, “The hunting communities have the potential to become the most effective contributors to the monitoring, management and conservation of wildlife in England and Wales by virtue of their numbers, their widespread distribution and their commitment.”
“On the other hand, legislation that simply bans the use of dogs in the killing of foxes, hares and deer, will seriously compromise policies and actions that are already making as insignificant positive contribution to the quality of the living countryside, and which have the potential to do so much more”.