Fury as hunts take place on National Trust land
HORSES and hounds with two trail hunts have entered National Trust land without the necessary licences.
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Terrier men, traditionally used to flush out foxes, allegedly accompanied both hunts, even though new Trust rules explicitly ban them.
The alleged breaches of the rules are now being investigated by Trust officials, who could ban the hunts.
The issue of allowing trail hunting – in which horses and hounds follow an artificial scent – on Trust land has caused deep divisions among the organisation’s members.
At its annual meeting last month almost 62,000 voted on a proposal to ban trail hunting, which was defeated by just 299 votes.
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He was unaware that they didn’t have permission to be there
The League Against Cruel Sports says on November 4 members of the West Somerset Vale Hunt were pictured on Trust land at Great and Marrow Hills, Triscombe.
The hunt declined to comment. Members of the Somerset Hunt Saboteur Group claim “the hunt proceeded to hunt fox openly” and were flushing hounds through gorse while terrier men raced around on quad bikes.
The land is part of the popular Trust-run Fyne Court estate.
Will Morton, of the League Against Cruel Sports, raised the issue with the estate and an unnamed official wrote to him saying: “The hunt chairman has since apologised for being on National Trust land. He was unaware that they didn’t have permission to be there.
“I have sent him maps of our ownership in the area and made it clear that I do not expect to see them hunting on National Trust land without first obtaining permission.”
The League also claims members of the Warwickshire Hunt went on to Trust land at Farnborough Hall on November 13. The hunt had not sought a licence.
A hunt spokesman admitted hounds had mistakenly entered Trust land and apologised but questioned whether terrier men had gone on to the land as well, saying: “You should check your facts on that.”
He also disputed a claim that hounds had followed a fox across the front garden of someone’s house.
Fox Hunting
Wed, February 18, 2015A decade ago, Britain banned fox hunting with hounds, a centuries-old blood sport with deep roots in the countryside and strong opponents in the towns. Animal-welfare groups cheered the end of what they considered a cruel pastime reserved for the rich. A sport Oscar Wilde dubbed "the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable."
Anti-foxhunting protesters, Victoria Eisermann, former playboy model (left) and Pola Pospieszalska, Polish pop singer (right) gather outside the Houses of Parliament, London, as a vote to relax the fox-hunting ban in England and Wales has been postponed
A Trust rule prohibits “the presence of terrier men, who have no practical purpose on a trail hunt.”
Emily Knight, general manager for the Trust in South Warwickshire, told the League in a letter the hunt had apologised for “their huntsman’s unlicensed access on to our land to gather hounds”.
A National Trust spokeswoman said: “We take any reports of unlicensed trail hunts on our land very seriously and are seeking urgent clarification from the relevant hunts.
“In previous years we have declined to issue, suspended or revoked trail hunting licences when licence conditions have been breached.”
