THE fight for the freedom to hunt is still winnable. It is important not just for those who hunt, but for everyone who values civil rights and freedom.

The Countryside Alliance will be running a vigorous and varied campaign with four key targets:

To persuade the House of Lords that the Hunting Bill should seek the regulation of hunting, based on evidence, principle and science;

To challenge Labour Party backbenchers who continue to reject this approach under the Human Rights Act;

To legally challenge against any projected use of the Parliament Acts to drive the legislation on to the statute book;

To persuade the main political parties of the need for sensible animal welfare legislation to prevent deliberate cruelty to wild mammals, and promote the conservation and management of our wildlife as a national asset.

The campaign will reflect the determination of decent people never to submit to unjust laws.

John Haigh,

Regional director,

The Countryside Alliance,

Front Street, Thirsk.

Updated: 10:12 Wednesday, August 20, 2003