On Saturday 21st February 2026, the Cheshire Hunt met at Haughton Hall. Half an hour prior to the meet, an individual associated with the hunt put his terrier through an artificial earth in an attempt to flush any foxes harboured within.
Hunting’s so-called governing body – the British Hound Sports Association – recently instructed hunts to abstain from terrier work in order that it does not expose the veneer of trail hunting.
The use of terriers can only indicate one thing: that the Cheshire Hunt have intentions to hunt foxes.
There is a wide network of artificial earths across the Cheshire Hunt’s country. To this day, artificial earths are still used by hunts across the land to attract, hold and rear foxes. Obviously, this is in direct contravention to the idea that hunts are engaged in ‘trail hunting’. The use of artificial earths should have been confined to the history books along with fox hunting when the Hunting Act came in, yet they are still used by
hunts today.
The hunt will claim that these earths are decades old, from days gone by when their “tradition” was legal, but still these earths form a vital part of their sadistic ritual. In Cheshire and across the country, they will be flushed with terriers prior to a meet and blocked during a meet to prevent the fox from seeking refuge. During the summer months a maintenance schedule is undertaken in advance of the new season.
The directors of the Cheshire Hunt are due in court on a charge relating to a breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 at this very same meet at Haughton Hall in November 2024.
The government has launched a public consultation on Trail Hunting – this is our chance to stop cruel hunting for good. You can read the HSA’s guidance and take part in the consultation here. The deadline is 18th June 2026 – make sure your voice is heard.
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