Pro-hunting group refused bid for charity status

THE leading group supporting foxhunting has lost its bid to become a charity despite anti-hunting organisations already having charitable status.

The Countryside Alliance was turned down in a decision that has infuriated the pro-hunting lobby.

It had argued that its main aim of “preserving, protecting and promoting” traditional rural pursuits including, hunting, fishing and shooting entitled it to charitable status, which would have allowed it to claim tax breaks for donations. But in an 11-page ruling yesterday, the Charity Commission said the group’s activities were not “exclusively charitable”.

That has angered hunting campaigners who claim it is being discriminated against when bodies such as the League Against Cruel Sports, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Badger Trust are recognised officially as charities. The charity watchdog said the Alliance’s publicly stated purpose of preserving the rural heritage was not recognised under charity law.

The Commission also pointed out that a Countryside Alliance campaign to promote the health benefits of eating game largely promoted commercial businesses selling the meat which had links on the Alliance’s website.

Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said he was bitterly disappointed that their application had been turned down. “We are very confident that the Alliance produces far greater public benefit than many organisations which have been registered by the Charity Commission,” said Mr Bonner.

“The Countryside Alliance is disappointed that, whilst the Charity Commission recognises the important work we do…it does not believe that it is possible to bring such work within the legal definition of a charity. Our legal advisers interpreted the law very differently, but if the Charity Commission is correct it exposes a fundamental problem with charity legislation.

“It cannot be right that the law discriminates against activities which clearly should be charitable... whilst bestowing the advantages of charitable status on activities which have far less public benefit. We will consider an appeal in order to clarify the law.”

Charitable status enables Gift Aid on donations, which allows charities to claim back as much as 25p from the Government on every £1 donated.