Everything about Countryside Alliance totally explained
The
Countryside Alliance (CA) is a
British organisation promoting issues relating to the
countryside such as
food,
farming and
country sports (
hunting,
shooting and
angling).
It was formed on 10th July
1997 from three organisations: the
British Field Sports Society, and two other organisations (the Countryside Business Group and the Countryside Movement) which were formed with help from the British Field Sports Society.
Organisation
The organisation covers mainly
England and Wales, and is split into 10 regions:
The Scottish Countryside Alliance covers the country of
Scotland and the
Countryside Alliance Ireland both the
Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland.
Chair of the organisation
The Chair of the Countryside Alliance is Labour MP
Kate Hoey who represents the inner city seat of
Vauxhall - The Alliance's head office is located in Kennington in Hoey's Vauxhall constituency.
Campaigns
The focus of its campaigning has been to defend
hunting, especially
fox hunting, opposing the ban on fox hunting and other forms of hunting with
hounds, which came into effect (in England and Wales) in
February 2005. Amongst other causes, the Scottish Countryside Alliance campaigns against the
Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, which banned hunting north of the border.
Opponents of the Alliance claim that this is the sole focus of the organisation, a claim it denies, saying that this campaigning is a response to the government's "preoccupation with the issue". Supporters of legislation have questioned the credibility of the Countryside Alliance claims to speak for the countryside when polls suggest people in rural areas are divided in their support for/opposition to hunting with hounds in much the same proportion as the urban population.
In response, the Countryside Alliance points to its campaigns trying to preserve rural life in other ways, such as encouraging
tourism (particularly important after the
2001 outbreak of
foot and mouth disease), encouraging consumption of local seasonal food and trying to keep rural
post offices and
pubs open.
The Countryside Alliance mounted a series of legal challenges to the
Hunting Act 2004 that banned hunting with hounds (integral to the sport of, for example, fox hunting) in England & Wales from
18 February 2005, which have not so far met with success.
Following the first conviction under the Hunting Act 2004 on
4 August 2006, the Countryside Alliance reaffirmed its belief that legislation was "illogical and unclear"
(External Link
) and vowed to support the appeal of the conviction.
Membership & Affiliations
The CA claims 100,000 members (October 2002), and also claims that 400,000 supporters participated in its "
Liberty & Livelihood March" in
London on
22 September 2002, a figure accepted by the
Metropolitan Police Service.
The CA isn't affiliated to any particular political party. According to disclosures in the UK
Data Protection Register, the CA carries out research on the backgrounds of those it considers to be its opponents.
(External Link)Further Information
Get more info on 'Countryside Alliance'.
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