Editing Countryside Alliance (section)

== Hunting with hounds ==

The Alliance has long defended hunting and shooting, especially hunting with hounds, opposing the legislation (the [[Hunting Act 2004]]) 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 prohibited hunting north of the border. In 2002, the Alliance organised the Liberty & Livelihood March, one of the largest demonstrations in British history{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}  with almost half a million people marching through London to demonstrate against the proposed ban.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo021016/debtext/21016-32.htm|title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 16 Oct 2002 (pt 32)|work=parliament.uk}}</ref> The Countryside Alliance mounted a series of legal challenges to the Hunting Act 2004 which were unsuccessful.

Following the first conviction under the act, on 4 August 2006, the Alliance reaffirmed its belief that legislation was "illogical and unclear"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryside-alliance.org/our_news_and_comment/hunting_news/Huntsman_will_appeal_court_decision |title=Huntsman will appeal court decision |date=3 August 2006|publisher=Countryside Alliance
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113134024/http://www.countryside-alliance.org/our_news_and_comment/hunting_news/Huntsman_will_appeal_court_decision/ |archive-date=13 November 2006 |access-date=3 February 2015}}</ref> and vowed to support the appeal against the conviction, which was later successful.

Critics 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 (previous) government's "preoccupation with the issue". On BBC ''Newsnight'' on 18 November 2014, [[Ann Mallalieu]] stated "What's actually happened to the foxes...because of the growth of commercial shooting...foxes are being shot at night by lampers...people with bright lights shooting them with guns..."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04pvjw9/newsnight-18112014|title=BBC Two - Newsnight, 18/11/2014|work=BBC}}</ref>