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Minister visits local hunt and reignites big debate
TRADITION: Master of the Hounds George Adams, centre, leads the Fitzwilliam Hunt out of Stilton on Boxing Day. (METP-26-12-11PF213) Pictures: PAUL FRANKS
AGRICULTURE Minister Jim Paice claimed that the Hunting Act is not working when he met the sport’s supporters at a post-Christmas meet in Peterborough.
Mr Paice visited kennels in Milton Park which house 100 dogs that are used by the Fitzwilliam Hunt and during the visit he said: “The current law simply doesn’t work.
“I am in favour of hunting with dogs – and the coalition agreement clearly states that we will have a free vote on whether to repeal the act.”
His comments came shortly before hunting enthusiasts turned out in force to enjoy the traditional sight of the Fitzwilliam Hunt’s annual Boxing Day meet at Stilton.
The meeting attracted about 600 people who watched 40 dogs and 60 horses take part in the bloodless hunt, which took place in and around the village on Monday.
Since the Hunting Act came into force in 2005, hounds have not been able to pursue foxes, deer, hares and mink.
But supporters of hunting continue meeting in a bid to repeal the ban and maintain finances and membership in the hope the ban will be overturned.
On the Boxing Day Hunt none of the English fox hound dogs were muzzled, but organisers stringently stuck to the law they want to repeal.
George Bowyer, master of the Fitzwilliam Hunt, said: “The law was brought in because the Labour government didn’t want to see upper class twits like myself hunting.
“What they don’t realise is that it affects everybody, and the rural community know that hunting is the best way of dealing with the problems caused by foxes.
“The anti-brigade say hunting is immoral, but the ban says we can hunt mice and rabbits, but not foxes or deer. That shows it is not a question of morality. We had a lot of people out to show their support for the hunting traditions on Boxing Day. It was the first time we have been able to get out on a hunt for the last two years because the weather was so bad. Even though the ban is in place we are not scaling things down. We need to keep a presence.”
The hunt involves dogs sniffing out fox urine imported from America and daubed around the area by officials, but not chasing the animals.
However, hunting critics maintain that hunting is still outdated and the ban should remain.
League Against Cruel Sports chief executive Joe Duckworth said: “It is appalling that people can think chasing a wild animal with hounds to the point of exhaustion and then watch it be killed is acceptable.”
The hunt will meet to celebrate the new year. It will meet at noon outside the Haycock Hotel, London Road, Wansford on January 2.
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Comments
There are 23 comments to this article
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Gorgeous George
Friday, December 30, 2011 at 12:36 PMThis is about showing the local peasants who's the boss.
Sofedup
Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 05:01 PMJJ - Anyone who feels it is perfectly acceptable to run the bloody cut off tail of the fox across the face of a child to "first blood" them on their first Hunt, have to be sick in the head. I certainly don't see what the Guardian, BBC or Local Government has got to do with it.
Justice Titfield-Thunderbolt
Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 12:53 PMWhen will this stupid pastime end? The vast majority of people couldn't give a stuff for fox hunting. It's an upper class twit's sport and the Countryside Alliance are nothing but a bunch of idiots. And if your livelihood depends on the ritualistic killing of a small animal, isn't it time you found a more worthwhile profession?
HollygoLula
Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 08:18 AMLooking at the picture above my first thought is....WHY THE HELL ARE THEY ALLOWED TO USE THE ROADS, THERE ISNT A TAX DISC ON ONE OF THOSE HORSES!!! Whats more dangerous to a walker going down that road....a car driving at 32 mph....OR....that shower of u know what riding at speed behind a pack of blood thirsty hounds? Also....dont they have a 'tot' of whisky on their little stops? In that case, being Xmas, shouldnt the Police be out breathalysing them? After all, that would happen to a motorised or pedal power driver?
Dalek Sec
Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 07:15 AM@15 Good point. Hunts have always bred their own foxes, which rips apart the pest control argument.
Dalek Sec
Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 07:14 AM@16 Nice stereotyping - very intelligent. Fox hunters are inbred toffs who read the Torygraph (although the plebs that follow them read the Daily Fail and the Sexpress) - how's that?
Gorgeous George
Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 01:27 AM16 haha carter can't even spell grauniad.
J J Carter
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 07:44 PMComment removed by moderator
Tim Blair
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 06:08 PM“The law was brought in because the Labour government didn’t want to see upper class twits like myself hunting" no that is just a bonus “What they don’t realise is that it affects everybody, and the rural community know that hunting is the best way of dealing with the problems caused by foxes." as a top level preditor they will always breed and spread to fill available space and available food resorses, if fox hunting worked they would have nothing to hunt after a short time. sicker still is the hunters breed their own foxes to torment and rip to bits.
maded
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 04:58 PMHa ha Stafford - lots of evidence for muzzling the mad dog of the local left but he never wanted the ground bought so that is not one of them....as posh fans know he was happy for the club to fold. Foxes and all living things deserve a better end than being torn apart
Rosie's mum
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 04:57 PMComment removed by moderator
maded
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 04:54 PMI am against hunting foxes with dogs. It is barbaric. The trouble is the law has had no effect. We can threaten people all we want a la Ed's post but 600 meet at one hunt and how many prosecutions have there been since the act came in? A handful.
Stafford fan
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 04:51 PMRecently had two chickens killed by a fox or foxes. No doubt the chicken suffered as they were torn apart. Foxes are vermin. Surprise at Ed Murphy comments - dogs are never muzzled but I can think of a few councillors who should me muzzled for their own protection! Perhaps someone should put a citizens arrest on the whole council after buying that football ground for around £7m !
Trigger
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 03:27 PMFox hunting is cruel if you want to kill a fox shoot it dont terrorise it then lets dogs rip it to bits, I have lived in the countryside all my life so understand all about animals being killed for food, but would never ever put any animal through the trauma that a fox goes through while being chased and eventually killed in one of the most barbaric ways you can imagine.
Postie Supporter
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 03:14 PMJust another example of how out of touch with reality and public opinion the Tory's are. There is no wide spread support for repealing the Hunting Act at all. Only just a few hundred blood thirsty brain dead murders.
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