§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated size of the(a) fox, (b) hunting dog and (c) hunting horse population in the UK has been in each year since 1995 for which figures are available. [40694]
§ Alun MichaelThere is no way to collect such information, but the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs, which was chaired by my noble Friend Lord Burns and published in June 2000 (Cm 4763), estimates the pre-breeding fox population of England and Wales as 217,000. The population almost trebles in early summer.
The report contains information based on data returned in response to a survey of hunts conducted by Produce Studies Ltd. in February 2000. This provided an estimate that there are 793 horses owned by hunts in England and Wales and 19,162 hounds used for hunting in England and Wales.