Hypocrisy in the anti-hunting movement

Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Tim Bonner writes:

Hypocrisy is not, of course, something we should be surprised about in the anti-hunting movement, but the current campaign against trail-hunting on National Trust land is a high water mark.

You may remember that throughout the ridiculous debate about the hunting ban, those opposed to hunting from Ministerial level down, asserted that it was wholly an animal welfare measure and that they wanted hunts to continue hunting an artificial scent once the ban was in place.

Yet almost as soon as the Hunting Act was passed the mask began to slip. Activists bemoaned the fact that hunts had not closed down, a Director of Campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports said it wanted to see hunting artificial trails banned and now that organisation, and others, are campaigning to ban hunting an artificial scent on National Trust land.

The reality is, as we have always known, that the anti-hunting movement is far more about hatred of people than love of animals. Its primary aim is to get rid of people who hunt, rather than to improve animal welfare. The National Trust was set up exactly to preserve the cultural heritage of our country that hunts represent. From the Cumbria to Cornwall hunts have been an intrinsic part of rural life for hundreds of years and they remain just that.

That is why we are urging all members of the National Trust to use their vote to oppose the members' resolution put forward to ban trail-hunting that will take place at the Trust's AGM at their headquarters in Swindon on 21st October.

Voting papers and full details about when and how to vote will be included in the AGM documentation which is being sent out to eligible members of the Trust at the moment.

It is very important that anyone who is a National Trust member signs up to receive further information about the campaign. Please do so below: