The new boss of the Countryside Alliance has said repealing the ban on hunting is a "central part" of the Alliance's work, as the battle for the hearts and minds of wavering MPs intensifies.

With both sides saying an imminent free vote on hunting was "too close to call", the Alliance's new chief executive, Alice Barnard, said they would continue to lobby for repeal.

Both the Alliance and the League Against Cruel Sports threw a small army of campaigners at all three party conferences, and Ms Barnard said the issue was still top of the Countryside Alliance's agenda, despite the movement stepping more towards campaigning on other rural issues like affordable housing and fly-tipping.

Alice Barnard, who was the Alliance east of England officer and has a hunting background, took over from out-going chief executive Simon Hart when he was elected a Tory MP in west Wales.

She said: "Repeal of the Hunting Act is a central part of the Alliance's work and we will continue to highlight that this is a bad law in all senses, not least animal welfare.

"It is also a huge waste of police and court time.

"In this time of austerity and budget cuts, it is clear that resources would be better deployed on things which affect the wider community," she added.

"When such a vote is to take place remains to be seen when Parliament returns for autumn business.

"First, a vote will be taken on whether MPs will hold a debate on the issue at all, which will give some idea on the numbers for and against the hunt ban in the new intake of MPs."

Hunt campaign leaders have been nervous about forcing through a vote on repeal in case such a vote is lost.

Ms Barnard said she was confident the new Tory-Lib Dem Government would prove more sympathetic to rural issues than the last Labour Government.

"This year, following the formation of the coalition Government, we have new ministers in Defra and across Government departments who are not only sympathetic to our issues but also have a real understanding of the countryside, country sports and rural life," she said.

"It is encouraging that our campaigning work in all areas, such as food labelling, affordable housing, rural services, fly-tipping and education has clearly had a strong impact amongst politicians and is widely acknowledged and understood.

"The same is true with regards to the need for repeal of the Hunting Act," she added.

The anti-hunt League Against Cruel Sports were also lobbying hard at the three conferences.

"We've had an exhausting three weeks at the main political party conferences," said chief executive Douglas Batchelor.

"We have spoken to senior politicians, celebrities including Eddie Izzard, and had dozens of MPs sign our pledge against repeal of the Hunting Act," he said.

The League also presented new Defra minister Caroline Spelman with a 20,000-plus signature petition against snaring, and they co-hosted a debate at the Tory party conference with a group called Conservatives Against Fox Hunting.