DISCOVER
BATTLE FOR THE
COUNTRYSIDE
Nearly 15 years on since the passing of the
Hunting Act, stags are still being culled,
meaning the war between pro and anti
lobbyists lives on. Sam Hodgson investigates
how and why the sport continues...
D
espite on-going protests by 400,000 of the UK’s rural
community, The Hunting Act passed through Parliament in
2004. A piece of legislation arduously fought for over half
a century, the act would restrict the use of hounds in hunting wild
PHOTO: BLACKMASK
mammals. The act has since been largely successful in deterring illicit
blood-sport, but has faced criticism by pro-hunt lobbyists and anti-
hunt activists alike, with huntsmen continuing to indulge in their sport
without prosecution. It has been over a decade since, and the UK
remains unsatisfied. With stags still routinely being hunted for sport
by packs across the country, the act remains engulfed in controversy.
“This hunt will be operating completely within the law” exclaims
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the Master of the Devon and Somerset Stag hounds, looming over
his loyal rural followers at their most recent meet on Easter Saturday.
Technically, he’s right. The Hunting Act has never been an outright ban
on hunting and exemptions in the law allow hunting with hounds to
continue. In the instance of stag hunting, this refers to the “research
and observation” exemption, a loophole permitting the use of two
hounds above ground to flush an animal out of cover in the name of
scientific research.
As a result of this, the prosecution rate for official hound hunts is
exceedingly low, accounting for around 6% of all 532 prosecutions
under the Hunting Act since 2005. Despite this figure, the anti-
hunting lobby persist that government-recognised hunts are rife
with illicit tactics and illegal behaviour. Co-founder of Dorset Against
Bloodsports, Marc Jordan, believes that legislation is being consistently
exploited.
“They’re absolutely still breaking the law, there’s no doubt about
it.” Argues Marc, who has seen the exemptions used on countless
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occasions from his time as a hunt saboteur. “If you claim you haven’t
seen the stag and your hounds have, then the death can be considered
as an “accident” which for some reason isn’t prohibited”.
Marc works closely with Dorset’s officers to assist with convictions
under the act. He admits that there is little more that enforcement
officers can do to prevent these hunts from continuing to operate
against the law.
“The police are literally doing all they can”. He explains. “The
exemptions allow the use of hounds to continue, so officers are
really limited with what they can and can’t do. The law really needs to
improve in order to enforce it”.
This view is common within the anti-hunting community, with a
number of groups setting up petitions to strengthen the law after
a cancelled “free vote” by Teresa May’s Conservative government
threatened the act last year. The League Against Cruel Sports is one
of the many organisations battling to strengthen the law, campaigning
for an outright ban on hunting with hounds. For Nick Weston, Head
www.countryfile.com
of Campaigns at the League, tighter restrictions are the only way
to ensure that current hunting regulatory issues can be properly
addressed.
“The law needs to be strengthened because hunting is continuing
as it did before the law changed”. He says. “The research and
observation exemption is being completely misused by the hunting
community and a lot of hunts say that they’re going out to do
research, but there’s never any research published. Not a single drop.”
“The main change we would like to see is the adaptation of a
‘recklessness’ clause. At the moment the earnest is on us to prove
that these people are deliberately hunting. This clause would mean
there is no way to throw your hands up and claim that it was an
accident or ‘research’ anymore.”
Naturally, the hunting fraternity offers a different perspective. Not
least because the sport is bred into their bones across generations,
but because of their pride in playing a bit role in a long-standing
British tradition. The Devon & Somerset Staghounds ride as though
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 DISCOVER
they are not bound by such restrictions, with their steadfast
countryside followers travelling for miles to catch a glimpse of the
chase. And for one thing, the hunt remains massively popular, with
some 250,000 people involved in Boxing Day hunts in 2018.
Yet it would seem things are not so divided between both
parties. Frustration ensues across the hunting fraternity despite the
continuation of the sport, with the pro-hunt lobby seeking a complete
refresh of a law that many claim restricts the ability to control deer
“If the deer are not managed their numbers will population to a healthy rate.
grow out of proportion which would mean a threat to TAKING CONTROL
drivers, agricultural damage and forestry damage”. The amount of deer in Britain has nearly doubled since 1999,
with an estimated population of two million inhabiting the British
countryside and rural areas. This growing population not only
provokes the risk of agricultural damage but also poses a threat to
drivers, with a current UK average of 20 deaths per year from deer-
related collisions.
“It is an absolute necessity that deer are managed” argues Charles
Smith-Jones, conservationist expert and author of “Practical Deer
Management”. “We have no natural predators. If the deer are not
managed their numbers will grow out of proportion which would
mean a threat to drivers, agricultural damage and forestry damage by
feeding in greater numbers which in turn would pose a great risk to
the natural survival of other species.”
PHOTO: ELIENS
But does this generally account for a lifting of the restrictions on
the use of hounds? If you ask Jim Barrington, pro-hunt lobbyist and
animal welfare consultant at the Countryside Alliance, the answer is
yes. 20 years ago, Jim was the director for The League Against Cruel
Sports but had a change of heart after realising the damage caused by
the growing deer population. He believes the act should be lifted.
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DISCOVER
“ONLY BY USING
HOUNDS CAN WE
PROPERLY WEED OUT
THE WEAK AND SICK.
THAT’S THE WAY NATURE
WORKS.
”
A
COUNTING THE
DAMAGE
l 2 million wild deer in Britain.
l 74,000 deer related traffic incidents with an average of 20 human
deaths per year (RSPCA).
l £4.3m in grazing damage to crops per year. (Defra).
l £4.5m in damage to commercial woodland and forestry per year.
(Forestry Comission).
The red deer is one of six deer species living in the British
countryside. Growing up to 137cm, they are Britain’s biggest land
mammal.
“The act should never have been about just hunting with dogs.
There is no science that says that hunting with dogs is inherently
cruel.” He explains. “Only by using hounds can we properly weed out
the weak and sick. That’s the way nature works.You’re actually using a
natural process, replicating a canine predator, to get the best result in
situations where animals have to be managed”.
Despite a reported 88% of the nation against stag-hunting, the
hunting act lingers like a bad taste for many, with the rural community
calling the legislation “nonsense”. The act leaves an imbalance. One of
incomplete justice to both animal welfare and to British rural heritage.
In the current political climate, both parties agree it is unlikely we will
see any change soon. Nevertheless, the restricted hunt rages on. For
now.
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