Carrie animal group pushes for trail hunt ban
PM’s wife is member of Tory organisation calling for change to law that would criminalise pursuit
AN ANIMAL welfare group supported by Carrie Johnson has called for a ban on trail hunting in a move that risks angering rural Tories.
MPs who are part of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) will this month put forward an amendment to the Animal Welfare Bill which would ban the laying of real animal scents, after evidence that foxes were killed by accident on Boxing Day hunts.
Under the proposed legislation, those laying such scents for hounds to follow would potentially be jailed.
The Prime Minister’s wife is a vocal opponent of foxhunting, and has said: “I am against foxhunting. Always have been. I even campaigned against it when I was much younger by dressing up as a fox. That’s why I’m a patron of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation.”
The proposed legislation is likely to cause irritation to many senior Conservatives. Jacob Rees-Mogg is a supporter of the Mendip Farmers’ Hunt and many in rural constituencies are involved in the traditional pursuit. However, Sir Roger Gale, who with Mrs Johnson is a member of CAWF, argues that laws on hunting do not go far enough and put foxes at risk of being torn apart by hounds.
He said: “Trail hunting has developed into a new recreational activity, which if done correctly should cause no harm to any fox or wild mammal. But ‘accidents’ seem to happen time and time again; harm is caused to wildlife, and the law broken. “There is no logical reason for the recreational recrea sport of trail hunting to continue to use animal-based mal-base scents if the hunt seriously and genuinely wishes to avoid accidentally a chasing or killing a fox.”
He argued a that training hounds hound to follow the scent of wild animals a causes them to chase after af mammals while on a hunt, and inevitably some die.
“For 17 years, generations of working work hounds have been trained to follow the scent of a fox. Totally T illogical. In simple terms, ter if you don’t want hounds to chase a fox, don’t use something that smells of a fox.
“So to protect wild mammals, and to preserve and protect the sport of trail hunting in its chase and kill-free form, I have laid amendments to the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, currently at [the] Report Stage in [the] Commons.
“My amendment calls for the intentional or reckless participation in laying or following an animal-based scent for hunting activities to become an offence, liable to a fine, imprisonment, or both.”
Co-sponsors of his Bill include the Conservative MPs Tracey Crouch, who is a friend of Mrs Johnson, and Henry Smith.
Countryside groups have criticised the proposed legislation, arguing that it would stop dogs from finding wounded deer in order for them to be killed humanely, and that hounds will always give chase, whether or not they are trained to follow a scent.
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “This proposal only reveals the confusion and lack of understanding of its proponents. It would do nothing to stop the few unfortunate cases where hounds do chase mammals.
“As any dog owner knows, the hunting gene is deeply embedded in canines and, from poodles to foxhounds, they will give chase when the opportunity appears.”
‘I am against foxhunting. Always have been. I even campaigned against it when I was much younger by dressing up as a fox’