‘Trail’ hunting should be banned from land

POLLY Portwi, of the foxhuntingsupporting organisation The Countryside Alliance, urges National Trust members to vote against a motion to ban trail-hunting on NT land. She fails to mention that, on 15 October, probably the most significant court verdict since the passing of the Hunting Act 2004 occurred.

A senior hunt official, Mark Hankinson, was found guilty of intentionally encouraging or assisting others to commit an offence under the Hunting Act by telling them how to use the excuse of so called ‘trail’ hunting to get away with hunting real foxes.

Delivering the verdict, deputy chief magistrate of England and Wales Tan Ikram made the following statement: “In my judgement he was clearly encouraging the mirage of trail laying to act as a cover for old fashioned hunting.”

This landmark trial is about much more than one man, and it has helped blow away the smokescreen of ‘trail’ hunting. In the words of the deputy chief magistrate:

“Perhaps most incriminating was the advice that trail laying had to be as ‘plausible’ as possible. There would be no need to suggest that [a trail layer] was needed unless it was a sham”.

Major landowners such as the National Trust, United Utilities, Lake District National Park and Natural Resources Wales have been waiting on this verdict to decide whether to ban ‘trail’ hunting on their land.

Readers of your paper who belong to the National Trust may like to consider the implications of this court judgement when they cast their votes on this motion at its forthcoming AGM.

Sue Nicholson Sidmouth, Devon