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The COUNTRYSIDE ACTION NETWORK is calling on ALL hunting supporters
to picket ALL DEFRA offices on Thursday 13th
June. While a substantial presence will be required in London,
regional offices will also be targeted.
A 'secret' meeting
("Chatham House Rules") has been organised with the
Minister, to which Countryside Alliance, the Middle Way Group, and
the Campaign for the Protection of the Hunted Animal have been
invited.
The Countryside
Action Network believes the so-called 'consultation process' is a
farce - and secret meetings (which will no doubt be selectively
leaked by hunting's opponents) should be ruled out. C.A.N.
spokeswoman Janet George said, "The Alliance has been
campaigning for the consultation process, announced by Alun Michael
on 21st March, to be open and transparent. We KNOW there can be NO
common ground between Hunt supporters and the animal rights
organisations that make up the CPHA. There has already been a
detailed (and very expensive) consultation process that resulted in
the Burns Report. It has been both comprehensively ignored and
selectively quoted by anti-hunt organisations and MPs."
The Countryside
Action Network believes the time for friendly, 'behind closed doors'
meetings is well and truly over. Mrs. George said: "The
Government must be left in NO doubt at all that hunt supporters will
NOT accept a ban and that we can cause far more aggravation than the
Government's backbenchers. The countryside lobby has always been a
sleeping giant. It's time for that giant to wake up and smell the
coffee! The so-called consultation is just a large sleeping pill -
intended to ensure we DON'T wake up until a hunting ban is a
reality."
Further details of
plans for the 13th June will be announced as soon as possible.
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