After twenty years of the Hunting Act 2004, the British Hounds Sports Association (BHSA) has suddenly decided that terrier men – famously referred to as hunting’s “soft underbelly” in the Hunting Office webinars – should no longer be present on hunt days. The statement begs the question why, up until now, have terriermen been present at hunts if they are in fact “trail hunting?”
The statement has obviously been triggered by the HSA’s recent Coniston Foxhounds expose, where Lake District Hunt Saboteurs filmed the hunt using a terrier to locate a fox, before digging her out and throwing her to the hounds. Nothing could more clearly illustrate the ineptitude and dishonesty at the heart of the BHSA: for twenty years they have been happy with terrier men on hunts but, faced with the horrendous Coniston video and the looming government consultation on trail hunting, the BHSA have suddenly stipulated new rules that “no vehicles carrying terriers, terrier boxes, or equipment intended or configured for terrier work may accompany, follow, or be associated with a day’s trail hunting.”
Surely, terrier men should have been a thing of the past when the Hunting Act was introduced, even Mark Hankinson, former Masters of Foxhounds Association Director and Hunting Office Executive Director, knew they were a stain on the smokescreen of “trail-hunting.” However, they have continued to attend hunts for twenty years and, up until now, the BHSA has been content with allowing them to do so.
The BHSA has a history of releasing statements and not following through and this latest release gives hunts a “get out of jail free” card. The BHSA have stated that “Hunts and Masters are responsible for ensuring that no terrier work or terrier-related activity is associated with a day’s trail hunt.” They have followed with, “IF such an activity occurs, the Hunt and Masters will be held responsible unless they can clearly demonstrate that it was not associated with the day’s trail hunting.”
So terrier men should not be present on a hunt day – but if they are, and get caught, then as long as the hunt claims it was nothing to do with them, they won’t have broken BHSA rules.
The BHSA’s guidance note slipped onto the end of the statement says, “it is not appropriate for anyone present at or associated with a hunting day to obscure their identity.” Terrier men routinely wear masks to not only conceal their identity when carrying out illegal terrier work, such as digging out foxes or blocking badger setts, they also use it as an opportunity to carry out violent attacks on hunt saboteurs. In November 2022 the terrier men pictured above, who were with the Mendip Farmers Hunt, launched a vicious attack on a lone female sab. They pushed her to the ground and repeatedly punched her in the head and kicked her while her bodycam and handheld camera were stolen.
The latest reaction by the BHSA appears to be a ploy to try and legitimise themselves and portray a law-abiding stance. However with four times convicted ex-huntsman Julian Barnfield as the executive director, we expect this statement will disappear into the ether, along with their false threats of repercussions for hunts who do not abide by these rules.
For every point they’ve made in the statement there’s a loophole, and these hunts have been functioning for twenty years thanks to loopholes in the current law. Read our ‘Witness the End of Hunting’ booklet, which outlines exactly what is required to create a Hunting Act that will work.
We urge anyone with information about hunt related activity to contact our confidential tip off line 07443 148 426.
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