Deceit And Dishonesty From Hunting’s Discredited Leaders

The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) is pressing on with plans for ‘Smokescreen Saturday’ which will take place in September.

With growing calls for the new Government to close loopholes in the Hunting Act and ban so-called ‘trail hunting,’ the pro-bloodsports lobby group is embarking on a last ditch effort to save their pastime, holding what they are calling a ‘National Trail Hunting Day’ in locations across the country.

This is their latest smokescreen, a carefully stage-managed PR exercise designed to divert attention from what really happens in the hunting field, and to deceive politicians, press and police.

GRAPHIC IMAGE

As well as bearing no resemblance to what hunts actually get up to week in week out, nor reflecting ‘trail hunting’ as described on the BHSA’s very own website, the presentation of this as a legitimate and well regulated activity is fundamentally flawed.

The BHSA portrays itself as the ‘governing body’ of hunting, a new organisation responsible for the upkeep of rules and standards. But in reality it is little more than a rebranding of the discredited ‘Hunting Office,’ made infamous by leaked webinars in which key members of the organisation advised hunters on how to circumvent the law. As well as many of the same people holding senior positions in the BHSA and involved in organising ‘Smokescreen Saturday’ (whose links to illegal hunting we will be exploring in a later piece), they inhabit the same offices, and even have the same images and much of the same text on their website.

The track record of the BHSA so far has been laughable – attempting to enforce edicts that many hunts have not followed, and failing to tackle the widespread illegal hunting, trespass, road chaos and violence perpetrated by hunts.

Over the last 18 months a number of high profile incidents have come to the public attention due to the work of Hunt Saboteurs and the press, but despite knowing of these well in advance, the BHSA has only acted against these individuals and hunts after these incidents were made public.

The two Avon Vale Hunt videos showing hunt members digging out and throwing foxes to hounds, here and here, the blatant hunting by Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt broadcast on Channel 4 News, and the weak response by the BHSA shows this.

Many of the hunts the BHSA are holding up as shining examples of so-called ‘trail hunting’ – and even those given the responsibility of hosting said ‘trail hunting demos’ – are subject to ongoing legal proceedings or have been recently convicted of illegal fox hunting.

Maybe most damning of all is the West Norfolk Fox Hounds, who are hosting the Norfolk event in September. Last month, four members of this hunt were in court on a string of charges, including illegal hunting, criminal damage and having dogs dangerously out of control.

The huntsman and whipper-in were found guilty of two counts of illegal hunting, on two separate occasions, including one where hounds invaded a private garden and killed a fox which was later aired on ITV News.

Despite claiming to promote ‘legal hunting’ the BHSA still offers ‘legal counsel,’ namely Stephen Welford, for members facing charges under the Hunting Act. Welford, who was defending the two convicted WNFH members in July, had his defence rubbished by the judge, who did a good job of highlighting the smokescreen that is ‘trail hunting.’

District Judge Bone stated that the charge of illegal hunting against them had been proved beyond reasonable doubt, that they knew there was a fox and almost immediately diverted the dogs in the direction of the fox.

“You didn’t just hunt once, you hunted twice, and on the second occasion an animal that Parliament legislated should not be killed by a dog was killed.”

“That has been the law for almost 20 years and yet on my verdict on both occasions while you may have been following trails, you took the opportunity to act unlawfully.” – District Judge Bone

Add to the mix the South Shropshire Hunt, who have ongoing legal proceedings against them on top of other illegal hunting convictions, the Cottesmore Hunt whose stewards were arrested at the end of last season for public order and drug offences following a string of violent incidents, and the terriermen of the Kent Hounds who were found guilty of animal cruelty offences at the start of the year, to name but a few.

A spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association said,

“Any would-be attendee of Smokescreen Saturday would do well to look into the litany of recent examples of cruelty and criminality from the hunting community, all with the BHSA at its helm.”

“Quite what planet the BHSA is on to try and dress this up as ‘legal and legitimate’ activity is anyone’s guess!”

“As ever, the Hunt Saboteurs Association will continue to expose the truth behind the sham that is ‘trail hunting’ – and we urge MPs, police chiefs and the press to pay close attention to our exposes and releases in the coming weeks.”