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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the safety from animal rights activists of agricultural landowners who have their details published on the Department's website when applying for a temporary closure of right to roam land during the shooting season. [210254] Alun Michael: Personal details of applicants are not published on the Countryside Agency's website. Shooting often proceeds without difficulty on access land without any formal restriction being put in place. Where an application is made for this or any other reason and a restriction is granted, the location and nature of the restriction and the reason for it appears on the Countryside Agency's www.openaccess.gov.uk website, so that members of the public wishing to check in advance about the possible existence of restrictions over an area of access land are able to do so. The land manager has the further option to post local notices drawing attention to the restriction. A model site notice is issued with the direction imposing the restriction--but the decision as to whether to post the notice lies with the land manager. If animal rights activists or others set out to disrupt lawful activities on access land or to intimidate those taking parts in shoots, Part V of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides clear scope for immediate action by the police.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

210254; 430 c207-8W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Access Disclosure of information Animal welfare Databases Land Gun sports Farmers Publicity Safety Countryside Agency

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk