Tradition is no excuse for cruelty. Tradition is no excuse for deceit.
Tradition is no excuse for breaking the law.
Boxing Day is a day of tradition. Disappointingly, one of those is still the boxing day hunt. Across the country, 250 hunts hunts were scheduled to meet today, including two on National Trust land, out in force, in all their regalia, on their trusty steeds attempting to convince the great British public that they are a valued part of society.
These hunting groups have recently faced allegations that blood sport has continued under the guise of trail hunting, and charities say there have been dozens of reports of foxes being pursued and killed since November 2018 when the hunting season began. Wild animals – including foxes, hare and deer, are still being chased to exhaustion across the British countryside before being torn to pieces by packs of trained hunting hounds.
A growing concern that the ban is being brazenly flouted has led Labour to announce that it would strengthen the 2004 Hunting Act – much maligned by both hunters and animal rights activists – if elected and remove legal loopholes that make prosecutions hard to achieve. Labour also said that it would consult on the introduction of custodial sentences for offences under the Hunting Act, potentially bringing the penalties in line with those for other wildlife crimes, if in government.
The shadow Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs secretary Sue Hayman also left open the possibility of a new “recklessness” clause to prevent trail hunting being used as cover for illegal hunting.
“Labour’s 2004 Hunting Act was a key milestone in banning this cruel blood sport, but since then new practices have developed to exploit loopholes in the legislation,” she said.
“While Theresa May proposed scrapping the Hunting Act all together, Labour is today calling time on those who defy the law by announcing several measures that would clampdown on illegal hunting.
“Labour is the true party of animal welfare. These new proposals form part of the next chapter in striving to ensure our laws and regulations on animal welfare are up to date and fit for purpose.”
Labour’s promise came as a poll commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports https://www.huntsabs.org.uk/found only one in six (16%) rural residents believe hunting with dogs reflects countryside values.
The polling by Survation found that over nine out of 10 (91%) rural residents think that observing nature reflects countryside values.
The poll found only 4% said they ever participate in hunting, compared to 63% who observe wildlife at least once a month, 59% who take part in walking or hiking at least once a month, 39% who participate in running, cycling or horse riding at least once a month and 52% who visit pubs at least once a month.
Chris Luffingham, director of campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “Hunting is claimed by a minority to be a cornerstone of country life, yet it is revealing that people living in the countryside get far more enjoyment from watching wildlife rather than killing it.
“Modern day countryside values are based around respect for nature, not the abuse of nature for entertainment.
“This polling confirms that we are a nation of animal lovers and that hunting needs to be consigned to history.”
– The polling took place in early December 2018 with a sample size of 1,072 people aged over 18 living in rural areas in England and Wales.
There remains though a serious threat that under Theresa May the Hunting Act will be repealed. May’s manifesto for the 2018 General Election included a pledge to give MPs a vote on legalising fox hunting. Furthermore hunts have still found many ways to circumvent the law and get away with killing wildlife.Whether through so-called ‘trail’ hunting, abusing exemptions in the law or exploiting legal loopholes, thousands of animals are being killed across the UK every year with impunity.This is not helped by landowners giving hunts access to land in order to carry out activities which could be cover for illegal hunting, or by legislation that is not strong enough tying the hands of law enforcement agencies. All this combined means that hunts are carrying on with killing wildlife in the way they always have. Anti-hunting groups contend that reports of foxes and hares being killed by hounds are often not followed up despite being supported by evidence. A decline in funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit, as well as cuts to local police forces, means hunts can often act with impunity unless they are monitored by members of Hunt Saboteurs, a non-violent direct action group. https://www.huntsabs.org.uk/
A spokesperson for the group said: “Boxing Day is the PR stunt of the hunting world. The reality is that many hunts are gangs of countryside lawbreakers who endlessly flout the hunting ban and, even on this day when the eyes of the world are on them, will still chase and kill wildlife. “It’s a sign of how the tide of public opinion continues to turn that various hunts are being turned away from their traditional prestigious Boxing Day meets by locals who are sick of their hypocrisy and the chaos they cause.”
The 'traditional' Boxing Day meets of the hunts gloss over the otherwise murky world of animal cruelty in which packs of hounds still literally tear apart their quarry of British wildlife. But everything it stands for is opposed by the majority of people in this country. There has never been a better time to strengthen the Hunting Act and bring an end to the illegal persecution of wildlife still going on under the guise of 'trail' hunting. If you love the countryside, it's time to stuff this tradition, it's not a part of British culture that should be preserved in the modern age. Well done to all those that are still fighting to keep hunting illegal.
Stop the killing of Animals by Hunts in the UK
https://takeaction.league.org.uk/page/19719/data/1?ea.url.id=1668592
The Disappearing Fox - A Mystery for the Boxing Day Hunts
