According to www.equine-world.co.uk, the U.K. House of Commons on Nov. 18 used the Parliament Act to force through the a bill to ban hunting with hounds. “Following disagreement between the Commons and the Lords, the Parliament Act was invoked for only the fourth (time) since 1949 to force a Bill through,” said the article. The British Horse Society (BHS) has expressed its concern on the ban’s potential effect on equine welfare–specifically, on what will happen to the many horses bred and trained specifically for foxhunting purposes.

Hunting with hounds will be banned in England and Wales beginning Feb. 18, 2005. The ban includes fox hunting, deer hunting, and hare coursing. The Countryside Alliance is challenging the ban “based on claims that the 1949 Parliament Act used to force it through was illegitimate,” said the Equine World UK web site