The main parties on Wildlife Management

The main parties have now launched their manifestos ahead of the General Election on 7th May. We bring you the main points from each one relating to a key part of our own manifesto - wildlife management. Read our own manifesto chapter on wildlife management here.

Conservative

• Implement 25 year strategy to eradicate bovine TB.


• Protect hunting, shooting and fishing.


• Give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote with a government bill in government time.


• Spend £3 billion from Common Agricultural Policy to clean up rivers and lakes, protect stonewalls and hedges and help bees.


• Ensure that public forests and woodland are kept in trust for the nation.

Green

• Maintain and strengthen the ban on hunting with dogs to include a ban on all hunting of animals for sport or pleasure.


• End the badger cull.


• End the use of snares.


• End the practice of grouse shooting and other sport shooting.


• Establish a Commission on Animal Protection to review a broad range of animal welfare matters.

Labour

• End the Government's 'cruel and ineffective' badger cull.


• Defend the Hunting ban and deal with 'wildlife crime associated with shooting'.


• End the subsidy of firearms licences.


• Undertake an independent review on how to end the persecution of birds of prey, prevent non-target animals getting trapped in snares and ensure humane treatment of game birds.


• Keep woodland in public ownership.

Lib Dem

• Introduce effective, science-led ways of controlling bovine TB and only support the existing cull pilots if they are shown to be effective, humane and safe.


• Implement the findings of the Independent Panel on Forestry, creating a new public body to manage the national forests.

UKIP

• Nothing specified in manifesto.