"Dark stain on the reputation of the National Trust"

22 October 2017

Dominic Dyer, CEO of the Badger Trust, writes for us about the attempt to ban hunting on National Trust land.

"Dark stain on the reputation of the National Trust"

Those were the words which ITV News captured for their evening news broadcasts, as part of my speech to hundreds of caring compassionate wildlife defenders outside National Trust AGM in Swindon on Saturday

The debate on the future of Trail Hunting on National Trust land had been brewing for months and finally came to a head during a tense and passionate debate on the floor of the AGM

Helen Benyon a National Trust Member and tireless campaigner to end trail hunting, made an extremely articulate and passionate speech in favour of passing a motion to outlaw this practise on National Trust land

Helen told the packed hall that she has only recently come to realise the brutal reality of trail hunting by seeing with her own eyes how hounds were continuing to chase down foxes and rip them apart in contravention of the Hunting Act 2004.

She told National Trust members that Britain's most treasured national institution and second largest land owner was effectively turning a blind eye to wildlife crime on its land.

Peter Martin the Chair of the Badger Trust added his support to the call for a ban by explaining the connection between trail hunting and the illegal filling in of badger setts on National Trust land.

Other National Trust members talked of the danger of fox hounds being out of control on public roads and coming into contact with dogs and cats and how not only foxes, but hares and deer were also under a threat as a result of trail hunting.

The National Trust Board accepted that trail hunting need to be more tightly regulated to avoid illegal activity, but refused to back calls for an outright ban on the activity.

Pro hunt supporters in the hall claimed the debate was a political attack on the National Trust orchestrated by wildlife protection and anti hunt groups.

When the issue finally came to a vote the motion to ban trail hunting was defeated by a wafer thin margin of 299 votes (30,686 for and 30,985 against).

It soon became clear that the winning margin was down to discretionary proxy votes given to the Chairman of Trustee Board.

With the pro hunt Countryside Alliance claiming it was responsible to signing up new National Trust members to supply such proxy votes, public anger is growing since the result was announced.

Hundreds of people have taken to social media posting images of their National Trust membership cards cut up as they turn back on the organisation in disgust over their refusal to ban trail hunting.

However, despite the obvious anger and disappointment over the outcome of the vote, we should not underestimate what has been achieved as a result of the anti trail hunt campaign.

Six months ago, few people had any understanding of what trail hunting involved or that it could result in illegal activity and wildlife crime.

Now millions of people have seen reports in the print and broadcast media or have been drawn into the debate on social media on why the National Trust is willing to allow this cruel hunting activity on its land.

Despite the best efforts of the Countryside Alliance to paint a picture of respectability around trail hunts, it's now widely understood that these hunts chase down and kill foxes, hares or deer, employ terrier men to fill in badger setts and damage areas of scientific importance or natural beauty on National Trust Land.

Despite seeing off an attempt to ban trail hunting altogether, the National Trust Board has been forced to introduce a new set of licensing rules which will significant increase the cost and complexity of monitoring and policing trail hunts on its land.

This will include public announcements on the location and timing of all trail hunts, ban on the use of animal based scents and the use of terrier men on the hunts  

At present the National Trust charges just £150 to issue a licence for a trail hunt but this cost is now likely to rocket in view of the staff and resources needed to implement and enforce its new licensing rules

The huge anger over the outcome or the vote is also likely to read hundreds of people to volunteer to become hunt monitors to forensically scrutinise every aspect of future trail hunts on National Trust land

It will only be a matter of time until these monitors film more illegal activity which will lead to a Court case and a  conviction under the Hunting Act 2004

When this inevitably happens the National Trust with have no alternative but to finally ban trail hunting on all it's land

The hunting lobby won a short term reprieve as a result of the vote on Saturday, but it now had little to celebrate

It's dirty secrets when it comes to Trail Hunting are now well and truly in the open and it's influence within the National Trust has been seriously weakened

The National Trust like any institution  must reach out to the next generation to survive and prosper

As Theresa May found to her cost in the snap June election, young people are horrified by the cruelty of hunting with hounds and politicians of all parties now realise that fox hunting is political poison

The National Trust Board have also now had a brutal wake up call on this issue as well. If the Trust is to reach out to a new generation of members who will fund its work, it cannot afford to turn them away in disgust over its support for outdated and cruel hunting practices on its land







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