Richard Fuller MP

words from

Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire

Each year, twenty Members of Parliament are selected at random to introduce a Bill on a subject of their choosing. This year, my name was drawn, and I proposed a Bill to tackle the crime of hare coursing.

Hare coursing is a serious and aggravating crime, but victims of this crime are currently poorly served in obtaining justice. Over the past year, I have heard directly from residents in North East Bedfordshire who feel both threatened and powerless in confronting this crime.

Police powers to intervene, already difficult given location and times of day, are ill suited to the crimes taking place and too often the penalties are an insufficient deterrent. Remedies in law are strewn across multiple, arcane pieces of legislation dating back to the 1800s such as the Night Poaching Act of 1828 and the Game Act of 1831. My Bill will seek to remove these and become the defining law for the crime of hare coursing.

Moreover, the dogs used in the chase are often exhausted and left for dead and hares are killed senselessly. The government’s own Action Plan for Animal Welfare highlights the need for action in this area. The Action Plan, published in May, is the first of its kind and will revolutionise the treatment of animals.

We have a proud history in this country on animal welfare. The UK was the first country in the world to pass legislation to protect animals in 1822 with the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act and over the last decade the Government has introduced a range of measures including banning the use of battery cages for laying hens, introducing compulsory CCTV in slaughter houses and raising the maximum sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years.

The Government has also brought in mandatory microchipping for dogs to help reunite lost dogs with their owner; introduced additional protection for service animals through ‘Finn’s Law’ and Lucy’s Law to tackle puppy farming by banning the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens. In 2019, the Government also outlawed the use of wild animals in circuses.

But we know there is more we can do and now that we have left the EU, we have the opportunity to go further. The government’s Action Plan contains upwards of forty valuable reforms which represent the biggest shake up of animal welfare laws for generations.

Alongside the Action Plan, my Bill on Hare coursing will seek changes to give the police the tools they need to do the job – for example, as part of a prosecution, to recover and enforce the costs for kennelling of dogs seized from the offenders. It will also seek stronger guidance on sentencing and a higher limit for certain penalties.

Over the coming months I will consult with local residents, our local NFU branch, Bedfordshire Police and national animal welfare and rural campaign groups for their input on what I hope will prove to be an effective step in combating this crime. The Second Reading of my Bill will take place on 21 January 2021. If you would like to share your views on this matter, please email me at richard.fuller.mp@ parliament.uk The action plan can be read at https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/action-plan-for-animal-welfare