By BEN RUSSELL
The British House of Lords has voted against a ban on fox-hunting, putting itself on a collision course with Britain's House of Commons, which backed a hunting ban by a huge majority last month.
After the British Government faced calls from peers to put the Bill banning fox-hunting on hold until the foot-and-mouth crisis is over, peers rejected a ban by a majority of 249.
A large majority of peers later voted in favour of allowing hunting to continue under "self regulation", but the middle-way option of licensing hunting and introducing an independent regulator fell by 80 votes.
The vote against a ban will increase pressure on Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair to reintroduce a three-option Bill, including the middle-way, after the next election instead of forcing through a ban on hunting, which a majority of Labour MPs want.
If the general election is held in May or June, as expected, the current hunting Bill will almost certainly fail to become law because of lack of time. The pro-hunting lobby claimed last night that the vote was a victory for the countryside.
"This is overwhelming cross-party objecting to a ban and it is quite clear there is no mandate for criminalising people who support hunting," said Simon Hart of the Countryside Alliance.
But anti-hunting groups said that the House of Lords had "rejected the will of the people. We are very disappointed that peers decided to vote against the will of the people and the elected chamber," said a spokesman for the RSPCA. "This vote shows that the middle way is not an option. People have seen through it as another way to continue hunting."
The Tory peer and shooting enthusiast Earl Ferrers launched an impassioned plea to ministers put the Bill on hold while the countryside was being ravaged by foot-and-mouth disease.
Lord Cope of Berkeley, a Conservative home affairs spokesman, also attacked the Government's decision to press ahead with the legislation in the face of the foot-and-mouth crisis.
"I must say, I find it distasteful, to say the least, to be discussing it today when the countryside is itself plunged into such dreadful agony. It is very difficult to see what our countryside is going to be like after such dreadful cataclysms," he said.
The Tory peer said the Bill was vague and could threaten innocent country walkers. He said the Bill did not define fox-hunting and would be enormously difficult to enforce.
Peers were debating three options: an outright ban; continued self-regulation; or a "middle way" to allow hunting under strict national controls.
MPs have already overwhelmingly voted to ban the traditional country sport, but the legislation is unlikely to have sufficient parliamentary time to become law if Tony Blair calls an election on 3 May.
Lord Cope said the Bill "would make a criminal out of someone whose single dog chases a hare or follows the scent of a fox, mink or deer".
The Liberal Democrat Lord Carlile of Berriew, speaking for the middle way option, said it was the wrong time to impose a new restriction on farmers and the rural community. He said: "They do not need to be kicked when they are down.
"This Bill seeks to do more than merely affect the activities of farmers. It seeks to challenge centuries of evolving customs. It seeks to change what has been effective de facto self-regulation. I say ... that it seeks to undermine the proper and basic liberties of the country people, one of whom I am proud to be."
Earlier, the Government was forced to adjourn debate on the Bill for 10 minutes after a dispute broke out over voting procedure. The row came at the beginning of a detailed committee stage debate after the Government's chief whip in the Lords, Lord Carter, members of the Opposition front bench and scores of backbenchers questioned the order of voting on the three options in the Bill.
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Britain's lords reject call to ban fox-hunting
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