Latest News 4th Feb 2023
3.23

BAD NEWS FOR HUNTS

The Airedale Beagles pack has folded. They had been hunting hares since 1891 and this was one of the oldest beagle packs in the country.
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Fife Fox Hounds Hunt has come to an end. This was a 200 year old hunt, finished (we believe) because of the new Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill. 
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On 24/01/23, the Scottish Government voted to pass the new Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill. It doesn’t look water tight, but nonetheless it is seen as a big improvement. Trail hunting is included in the ban. Banning trail hunting in Scotland is a pre-emptive move. The new bill has removed the Scottish hunts’ means of getting around the existing Scottish legislation, which was different from the English legislation.  The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 allows hunts to use a whole pack of dogs to “flush a fox to guns”, meaning the hunts could effectively hunt as they always had. On the other hand, English law limits the number of dogs used to “flush a fox” to two, meaning the hunts had to find another “legal” way of continuing to hunt with a full pack – hence the invention of “trail hunting” which (they claimed) only mimicked real hunting. Fully aware that trail hunting is a smokescreen for fox hunting, the Scottish Government has wisely prevented it from starting. 

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INVESTIGATIONS, PROSECUTIONS AND CONVICTIONS

Further details have emerged about the police raid on 18/01/23. Six men were  arrested and 22 dogs seized in a police operation involving Kent, Norfolk, Sussex, and Thames Valley police, and the RSPCA.  The Guardian reports, “it is understood that they were suspected of acting as terrier men, preventing foxes going to ground so the mammals can be caught by dogs.” Evidence from their phones could be crucial.
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Mark Harris, terrier man for the Spooners and West Dartford Hunt, has been found guilty of an offence under the Protection of Badgers Act (1992). He caused a terrier to enter a protected sett. He said he was instructed to flush and kill the fox by the huntsman Guy Morlock. Mr Harris was ordered to pay a fine of £1000, a victim surcharge of £100 and Crown costs of £900.
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A few weeks ago, the CPS dropped a case against a hunt supporter for attacking a sab, causing a brain bleed. The victim has asked the CPS for a review and this has been accepted.

HUNT BEHAVIOUR

North London Hunt Sabs Facebook page show a very brief video of the quad bike assault on their sab. The hunt involved is the East Essex Hunt. The date of the incident was 14/01/23. Police are taking the incident very seriously and are investigating. 
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On Sunday 29^th January, Weymouth Animal Rights and AAF met in Milborne Saint Andrew to protest outside the South Dorset Hunt’s Point to Point event. After the hound display, protesters noticed that one dog had been left behind and was running about alone. Hunt staff took no action. The frightened dog struggled through a hedge and out into the road, running in front of cars, queueing to enter the event. While none of those attending the event showed any concern, protesters immediately went to help the dog. Eventually, a member of the hunt came out and approached the dog, who cowered when he grabbed her.
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The Spooners and West Dartmoor Hunt turned up at Bellever Forestry Commission car park, probably hoping to trespass on FC land, from which they are banned. However, they found sabs (Plymouth and West Devon Hunt Sabs) already there, so they moved on.

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POLICE

North Wales Police accepted assurances from the Flint and Denbigh that they were not going out hunting on 21/01/23, but once they thought the coast was clear the F and D went out hunting in the afternoon. The sabs were on to it very quickly, not so the police.
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On Saturday (28/01/23) the Wynnstay pursued a fox. The Cheshire Monitors hit report states, “… but we were very grateful to locals for joining in to stop them and the police officers standing guard over a fox they’d seen running for its life!”
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Cheshire monitors report for the Wynnstay Hunt on the 29th of January includes the paragraph, “the police that attended all day were good this week and we were really pleased with their input. It’s a shame it can’t always be like that.“
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sabs

On Saturday 21/01/23 there was a “mass sab” of the South Dorset Hunt, with perhaps as many as 18 different  groups being involved. The mass sab was to indicate support for the local groups who had had a lone monitor beaten with metal bar.  During the day, another sab was run down by a terrier man on a quad. Sabs have also endured violence and intimidation and had 17-19 tyres slashed in one short period. Dorset Police have a sergeant that goes fox hunting.
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The Severn Vale Beagles was successfully sabbed by the Severn Vale Hunt Sabs. All the beagle packs are vulnerable to sabbing, and this one, too, is feeling pressure. Beagle packs hunt hares and the hunt are on foot.
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The independent review of the North Wales Constabulary policing of  hunts was published on 12/01/23. The Countryside Alliance then published a number of articles focusing on  parts of the report that appeared to discredit saboteurs. However, Protect the Wild has also reviewed the report and their conclusion is the police should just do their job properly.
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CAMPAIGNS

AAF (Action Against Foxhunting) have examined 2022 Boxing Day and New Year’s Day town meets and catalogued the results. Given the number of hunts involved this was a mammoth task. They also offer to assist anyone who wants to see their local hunt ousted from their town. They have developed expertise which they are happy to share. The link lets you view their opus, and is an easy read summary.

https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/boxing-day-and-new-years-day-meet-2022-roundup/
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AAF is also stepping up their campaign to challenge the hunts abuse of roads, where they are always causing obstructions and chaos. Further advice can be found here:

https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/hunt-road-chaos-and-healthsafety/

Thank you for reading and thank you to those whose reports we have used. If you spot any errors, please contact us on info@actionagainstfoxhunting.org

To see all previous issues, click here: https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/headlines/