Hunt groups unite

Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has been appointed to head a joint Countryside Alliance and British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) campaign defending legal hunting.

The move comes as 61 MPs and peers, led by Poole’s Neil Duncan-Jordan, have written to Defra calling for action on trail hunting, claiming current laws contain “legal loopholes” that allow continued wildlife killing.

Sir Ben says the joint campaign is about “defending lawful activity” and “protecting the people, standards and rural infrastructure that underpin it”. He points to the enforcement record: “Last year, there were over 12,000 days of lawful hunting carried out across England and Wales, yet in the 20 years since the original and draconian ban, there have been fewer than 30 successful prosecutions involving BHSA recognised hunts.”

The Countryside Alliance and BHSA agreed their joint approach following a 22 July meeting. Lord Herbert of South Downs, Countryside Alliance chairman, described it as essential unity against “serious threats” to rural life.

Opponents are also stepping up activity. The New Hunting Ban has launched its own consultation, while the League Against Cruel Sports plans an Exeter protest featuring a fake bloodied fox to highlight hunting’s “savagery”.

With Labour committed to banning trail hunting, Sir Ben faces a government already set on tightening the law.

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