Have your say – Contact your candidates

Everyone who loves the countryside must engage in this General Election and make the countryside's voice heard. Our Chairman, the Rt Hon Nick Herbert, said: "We are facing the most serious threat to country sports for 20 years with both hunting and shooting facing direct political attack for the first time."

The Countryside Alliance is therefore asking all its members and supporters to contact their parliamentary candidates ahead of the General Election. We have already written to candidates asking them to support our six key pledges below, but candidates need to hear from their voters, too.

It is vital that your representative in the new Parliament understands and supports our countryside and its communities.

Pledges:

• Delivering full digital connectivity to the countryside by 2025; mandatory country of origin food labelling to ensure a level playing field for British farmers after we leave the EU;
• Tackling crime in rural areas by introducing fair funding for rural policing;
• Opposing unjustified restrictions on firearms and punitive increases in the cost of licences;
• Making Post Offices the front office of government through the expansion of personal and business banking services, so protecting a vital service to rural communities;
• Taking an evidence-based approach to wildlife and environmental management and;
• Opposing any further restrictions on legitimate rural activities such as hunting, shooting and fishing. We have also publishes a short manifesto highlighting these key areas, which we believe must be addressed in the next Parliament.

You can find whether your candidates have signed up to our pledges, and email them here.

Please take action now and remember to vote on 12 December.