False smear attempt by League Against Cruel Sports thwarted by Countryside Alliance

A false news report that first appeared on 3^rd October 2019 in the Shropshire Star has been pulled after rapid action by the Countryside Alliance press office.

The story alleged that the National Trust had refused the South Shropshire Hunt a license. It quickly transpired to be utterly false.

The reality: The National trust had reached out to the South Shropshire Hunt early in the Summer. It asked if they wanted to apply for a permit. The Hunt took the decision not to apply for one this time round because it didn't want to expose its members or followers to saboteur bullies and extremists.

Unfortunately the newspaper had not checked the false claim that the South Shropshire had been refused permission to hunt on National Trust land.

The article also quoted the League Against Cruel Sports, implying they or an affiliate group had sent the original press release and planted the story.

When the Countryside Alliance were made aware of the article existing, prompt action was taken, and the story was removed online. A request has been made for a public clarification and apology.

We would like to thank the swift action of the Shropshire Star for swiftly acknowledging our concerns, but would like to reiterate the importance of getting both sides of a story before going to print.

Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance said "This was yet another poor attempt by the League Against Cruel Sports to mislead the public. We expect this from them, but the media needs to be aware that claims made by LACS and other animal rights groups need to be treated with the utmost caution. LACS has a long history of making dubious claims and, especially after the LACS were the subject of national humiliation following the CALOR gas funding disaster, media outlets should be doing everything they can to thoroughly research any information put out by it".

The Countryside Alliance Press Office works around the clock, seven days a week to defend and promote rural communities across the country. Should journalists need to contact us or fact check, our email address is: [email protected]