If the hunt was displaying publicly in your town over the festive period, and you really didn’t want them there, you can take action yourself

getting started:

Make sure you know the answers to these questions before you start. You probably already know what goes on at the meet, but it helps to be specific.

Know how to submit a FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST. If you are asking for information from a public body, use this website and submit a FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST. This site walks you through it.

EXPECT RESISTANCE – No one gives up easily on this. All the recipients of your emails will avoid answering. And the first reply you get will always be trying to fob you off. Don’t give up.

WE CAN HELP – Let us know which meet you are challenging, and we will help you. We can’t do it for you, but we will make it much easier.

WHO TO WRITE TO AND WHAT TO SAY

YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY OF THE TEMPLATE LETTERS BELOW. FEEL FREE TO EDIT THEM. WHEN YOU ARE WRITING TO A COUNCIL, ADDRESS IT TO THE TOWN CLERK.  WHAT YOU DO NEXT DEPENDS ON THE ANSWERS YOU GET TO YOUR INITIAL EMAILS. 

• If the hunt blocks the road without a road closure, you need to contact the Highways Authority for your county and put in a FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST. Template letter below. This can apply if the hunt arrives by a public street, and then uses private land for their meet.
• If the hunt occupies land (maybe a car park) belonging to a council (could be parish council, town council etc), you can contact the council. Template letter below.
• If the hunt uses a commercial business for their meet (maybe the local pub provides drinks to the hunt), you can contact the venue. Template letter below.
• If the hunt collects money at the meet, you can contact the local authority – whichever one it is that issues street collection licences. Template letter below.
• If the hunt’s animals defecate in the street and they leave a mess behind them (particularly dog faeces), you can contact Environmental Health department at your council. Template letter below.
• If the hunt allows children to engage with the hounds and there are no hand washing facilities, you can complain to the Environmental Health Department at your council.  Template letter below.
• If the hunt has a road closure, a street collection licence, cleans up after themselves etc, you can still contact the local council. You can ask them to tell the hunt they are not welcome in the town. Template letter below.

More detailed advice, and some training videos can be found here

Please contact us for help and advice – use this form below.

Letter to Highways Authority – Freedom of Information Request.

My request concerns the Boxing Day/New Year’s Day meet of ______ Hunt in ________ on ____________

1. Did ___________ Hunt apply to close the road for the event?
2. Did the hunt complete an event application form?
3. Did the hunt complete a risk assessment for the event?
4. Did the Highways Authority approve of the application?
5. If so, what Road Closure Order was given?

Letter Council if the hunt meets on council-owned land

Dear Councillor/Clerk

I am writing to you because you allow the ____ hunt to meet on land owned by ____on Boxing Day/New Year’s Day.

I hope that you will reconsider your position regarding the hunt, and instead of allowing them to meet on your land, you ask them to meet elsewhere. Councils across the country are being asked the same thing, and many of them are beginning to realise that this is not only the moral option, but the most sensible one too.

There are many serious public safety issues associated with these meets. Councils have a duty to ensure the public is safe on land they own, at all times. Equine events are always high-risk and it is important for the council to check that the hunt has the followed due process for these events. It is the council’s responsibility to make sure this is done.

https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/public-safety-at-boxing-day-and-new-years-day-hunt-meets/

Additionally, when a hunt meets in a public place, and on council owned land, the message you are sending to the public is that a hunt is a valued community organisation, engaged in a legitimate and almost heroic activity. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, hunts are unpopular, controversial leisure organisations, attracting opposition from many different groups and people. We all know that there is very good reason to suspect that hunts are breaking the law and killing wildlife; at the very minimum, they knowingly put animals – both wild and domestic –  at risk with their activities. Only 7% of people actually support them. 

I am asking you to reconsider granting permission to the *** hunt to use your land.

Yours sincerely

Letter to venue which hosts a hunt meet

Dear (use the owner’s name)

We are writing to you because you allow the ______ hunt to meet on your premises on Boxing/New Year’s Day.

We hope that you will reconsider your position regarding the hunt, and instead of allowing them to meet in your venue, you ask them to meet elsewhere. Venues across the country are being asked the same thing, and many of them are beginning to realise that this is not only the moral option, but the most sensible one too.

There are many serious public safety issues associated with these meets. Businesses have a duty to ensure the public is safe on premises they own, at all times. Equine events are always high-risk and it is important for the venue to check that the hunt has followed due process for these events. It is also important that your insurers know that you are holding a dangerous event in your venue.

https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/public-safety-at-boxing-day-and-new-years-day-hunt-meets/

We are asking you to reconsider granting permission to the ____ hunt to use your facilities.

Yours sincerely

Letter Council – Freedom of Information Request concerning street collection licence. 

Dear

Please tell me whether the ______ (or any other Hunt) received a street collections permit for their collection of money on Boxing Day/New Year’s Day?

If yes, please may I see a copy of the licence?

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely

Letter Environmental Heath Dept at Council – COMPLAINT about dog faeces from the hunt

Dear

My complaint concerns amount of dog faeces left behind by ______ Hunt after their meet in ________ on _________.

The hunt brought a large number of dogs into the town centre on _______. The dogs were allowed to roam freely and many of them defecated on the pavements and streets. After the hunt left, the faeces remained. It was unpleasant and insanitary.

Please let me know what action you will take against the hunt.

Thank you.

Letter Environmental Heath Dept at Council – COMPLAINT children being allowed to interact freely with hounds

My complaint concerns the danger to children from hunting hounds.

On Boxing Day/New Year’s Day, the __________ Hunt permitted children to engage freely with hounds in ____________. There were no handwashing facilities.

There are many reasons why hounds are insanitary. They do not live like domestic dogs and may carry pathogens dangerous to children. I have included some advice below.

Background
At most Boxing Day Meets, children are allowed unrestricted access to hounds. They can stroke the hounds and touch them as much as they please. Hounds jump up at the children (sometimes in groups) and put their faces close to the child’s face, sometimes licking them. Hounds may pass from child to child, freely.

Hounds are kept together in kennels, where diseases can easily pass from dog to dog.

Hounds are fed on raw fallen stock. These are farmed animals which have died in the fields, often of no known cause.

Risks, Pathogens and References

Farmed animals are known to carry a multitude of pathogens and diseases which they can pass to people.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/topics/zoonoses.htm

Hounds are likely to have consumed any of these pathogens when fed the raw stock.

Dogs can pass diseases to humans https://www.dogsforgood.org/good-advice/zoonoses/

Children are particularly vulnerable to picking up diseases from animals. They have immature immune systems and often put their hands in their mouths.

Proper Practice

Children/hound interaction at meets can be compared with the activities of petting zoos. Petting zoos must have high standards of hygiene https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/topics/visitor-attractions.htm

The HSE advice says this

Tell [visitors] about the risks and where and when they will be able to use washing facilities (in particular, remind nail biters, pen chewers and thumb suckers).

Provide information signs to remind them;

alcohol gels and wipes are not a substitute for hand washing

washing facilities should be sufficient for the expected numbers of visitors needing to use them at one time, and should include running water (preferably warm), soap and paper towels.

Boxing Day meets are held outdoors, with no running water available. Hand gels and wipes are not sufficient.

Please let me know what you will do about it.

Yours sincerely

Letter to council, asking them to ban the hunt on moral grounds

Dear Councillor

We are writing to you because ______ Hunt meets in ________on Boxing Day/New Year’s Day.

When a hunt meets in a public place, it looks as if the hunt is a valued community organisation, engaged in a legitimate and almost heroic activity. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, hunts are unpopular, controversial leisure organisations, attracting opposition from many different groups and people. We all know that there is very good reason to suspect that hunts are breaking the law and killing wildlife; at the very minimum, they knowingly put animals – both wild and domestic – at risk with their activities. Only 7% of people actually support them.

Additionally, there are many serious public safety issues associated with these meets. Equine events are always high-risk.  Here is an explanation of the risks:

Public Safety at Public Boxing Day or New Year’s Day Meets

We are asking you to consider putting forward a motion concerning the hunts. This our suggestion:

The Council should write to the hunt, putting these points and asking them to hold the meet elsewhere, and not in the centre of ***.

Thank you for your help.

Yours sincerely