The Countryside Alliance has today informed the Scottish parliament that it has started formal legal proceedings, following the announcement that anti-hunting legislation will be enacted on August 1, 2002.

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "Today's announcement confirms statements made by the Scottish Executive at the time of the vote. However, the legal challenge to the legislation could not be put in motion until an enactment date was announced. We will now be vigorously challenging this ridiculous and vindictive piece of legislation with every legal device at our disposal.

"The Scottish Parliament should have no doubt abut the depth of our resolve. We will not stand idly by whilst it dismantles the lives of Scottish country people. If the Parliament underestimates our resolve in seeing this legislation overturned, it would be making yet another clumsy misjudgement. Justice will lead the courts to rule this Act unlawful just as common sense showed that the bill it came from was flawed and unworkable".

Forum Response: RSPCA

A spokesperson for the RSPCA told ePolitix.com: "The Scottish Executive is to be congratulated. It has acted upon the will of the vast majority of Scottish people and MSPs to ensure that the cruel practices of fox-hunting, hare-coursing and fox-baiting are outlawed this year.

"The government should now bring in its own legislation to implement an outright ban on all forms of hunting with dogs. Failure to act would result in the ridiculous situation of banned Scottish hunters crossing the border to carry out their barbaric activities in England and Wales.

"It is always possible to lodge an appeal, but we are confident this Bill is ECHR compliant. The Bill has now received Royal Assent and as an Act of the Scottish Parliament the Scottish Law Officers have found no reason to believe that the Bill contravenes human rights legislation.

"The Bill was also only introduced after the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, David Steel, had certified its competence including compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights.

"CPHA has also sought independent legal advice which confirms that this Bill would be compliant. There is no right in the Convention to inflict cruelty on animals."