Well said, Keith!
How many of those who are celebrating the end of fox-hunting will quite happily sit down to a meal of battery-farmed eggs and intensively-reared bacon? Modern commercial food production imposes infinitely more unspeakable cruelty than any sport, yet we condone it every time we go the the supermarket.
The thought for nearly 750 hours of parliamentary time wasted on this piece of knee-jerk legislation when there are far more important things to deal with makes my blood boil. Still throw a sop to the deluded bunny-huggers and maybe they'll forgive some of the other iniquities of this government.
As for habitat and conservation; half the coverts and hedges in England would have been grubbed out two generations ago if it wasn't for the hunting and shooting they afford. As a keen shot, habitat management is in my interest, and I recall that half the time I spent out with my fowling mates was actually on work parties repairing dykes, sluices and sea defences to ensure that the habitat was preserved.