The HSA is delighted to hear that pro-hunting lobby group the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) is to waste more of its member’s time and money by holding another ‘National Trail Hunting Day’ on Friday 10th October.
The HSA thoroughly enjoyed reporting on last year’s expensive and pointless fiasco, where packs laid on a highly stage-managed public performance to try to convince invitees that ‘trail hunting’ is a legitimate activity.
Organised – if that is the right word – by convicted fox hunter Julian Barnfield, the event descended into farce long before it had even started. Locations, hunts and organisers changed like the weather, with some host packs being dropped when their previous dodgy behaviour was highlighted, and venues pulling out at the last minute when they were made aware of what their land was being used for.
On the day itself the Great British Public stayed away in their millions, MPs were desperate to distance themselves from it, police officers followed national guidance not to attend, and the only piece of media generated was a GB News article with the distinctly unhelpful headline “OUTRAGE AS LABOUR PLANS TO BAN FOX HUNTING”. Yes, even the right-wing libertarians at GB News recognise that trail hunting is code for illegal fox hunting!
Significantly, this year’s event has been moved to a Friday. This is a bid to placate hunters who were furious at missing a day of ‘proper’ cub hunting by having to attend last year’s event on a Saturday. The 2025 version is also massively scaled down, in a desperate attempt to generate bigger crowds at fewer venues.
Anyone who is invited to Farcical Friday should ask themselves why they are warmly invited to this event yet denied access to the 12,000 actual hunt meets that take place – in total secrecy – each year.
An HSA spokesperson commented,
“It was Einstein who said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing again and expect different results. On this definition the BHSA are clearly insane: last year’s Smokescreen Saturday was a disaster and did nothing to promote their cause. The fact that they are repeating it shows they have run out of ideas – what we are witnessing here is the death throes of the smokescreen that is trail hunting.”
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