Anti-hunt lobby fights on with help of Twitter trail as hunt supporters ridicule current law as a 'pantomime'
More than 300 hunts will take to the field on Boxing Day, buoyed up by a renewed commitment from within the government to hold a free vote on repealing the seven-year-old ban on hunting with dogs.
The Countryside Alliance expects up to 250,000 hunt supporters to follow the packs or turn out for meets at country pubs and manor houses to mock the current law as a "pantomime" piece of legislation.
Loopholes in the law are certain to mean foxes will be killed "accidentally" after being set up by the hunts ? almost all of the 325 registered packs ? which range from Cornwall to North Yorkshire, and which show few signs of either the law or recession reducing their support.
The junior environment minister, Jim Paice, has visited the Fitzwilliam Hunt kennels, near Peterborough, to reaffirm the pledge. He said: "The current law simply doesn't work. I personally am in favour of hunting with dogs ? and the coalition agreement clearly states that we will have a free vote on whether to repeal the act when there is time in the parliamentary calendar to do so."
Alice Barnard, the Countryside Alliance's chief executive, said: "Despite the prejudice and ignorance of some, hunting [is] as strong as ever. Boxing Day, we are expecting a quarter of a million people to come out in support of their local hunt.
"The visit of the hunting minister to a kennels is a very welcome, and strong, show of support from this government. The Countryside Alliance is delighted to be in such a strong position to push for the repeal of the expensive, failed hunting act."
Signs of support include Christmas celebrations at the Morpeth hunt in Northumberland, which has raised �50,000 to replace its dilapidated Victorian kennels. Other packs will use the day's followers ? always the biggest in the field sports' calendar ? to promote the hunt as a "country day out for all the family".
Open-door schemes include a children's meet before Christmas at Holcombe, in the Pennines, and groups encouraging local people to welcome urban day-trippers to the pink-coat gatherings outside manor houses and country pubs.
Supporters will also use the day to remind the government of the Tories' and Lib Dems' pledge to "revisit" the ban in the current parliament. Advice from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is that honouring this remains a commitment but that parliamentary time for it is very unlikely during the economic crisis. Jill Grieve, for the Countryside Alliance, said: "We are determined to make sure they keep to the pledge within the timescale they promised." Only one hunt, the Aldenham Harriers, has disbanded in the past year but supposedly due to creeping urbanisation in its area, Hertfordshire, rather than due to members' disillusion with the constraints of hunting laid scent trails.
Saboteurs traditionally leave Boxing Day meets alone but there could be action this year, and video monitoring of hunts is likely to continue. Clashes occur regularly across Britain. One recent incident included a day-long "human wall" which stopped the York and Ainsty South hunt digging out a fox that had gone to ground. Five saboteurs were accused of trespassing to disrupt a lawful activity but charges were dropped on the day they were to appear before magistrates. There were also violent confrontations at a meet this month of the Southdown and Eridge hunt near Shoreham, West Sussex, when 50 saboteurs arrived to monitor the event. The Hunt Saboteurs' Association posted clips on YouTube and sent a dossier on alleged violence and illegal hunting practices to Sussex police.
The League Against Cruel Sports is using Boxing Day to boost fundraising for initiatives ranging from its Twitter map of hunting incidents to lobbying of MPs over any revisiting of the act.
The league said the legislation was "working well", with opinion polls showing that 75% of the public wanted to keep the act, which has led to 181 convictions since it came into force in 2005. Three involved hunts governed by the Masters of Foxhounds Association and a further three were registered with the Council of Hunting Associations. Data for 2010, shows 36 convictions, primarily of poachers, with one involving a CHA hunt.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/26/boxing-day-hunts-mission-repeal
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