National Trust bans blood sports on its land

Hmm. 21,000 proxy votes to be used by the chairman as she sees fit does not seem to be very democratic to me.

What ever our opinion of how the National Trust conducts itself these days, I can’t help feeling we’d all be in favour of a ban on blood sports. I certainly am.

The votes were members voting to ban trail hunting ( which is often a cover for “accidentally” killing wild animals) . It’s not binding and the NT trustees are to “consider” whether or not to actually ban trail hunting. If you are a NT member you would have got a voting slip email a while back. I knew nothing about it but Chris Packham had a campaign urging members to vote which I did.

I don't think there needs to be diplomacy when it comes to the issue of blood sports.

It's the right thing to do.

What is 'trail hunting' please?

It is the laying of a 'scent' for dogs and riders to follow rather than chasing a fox. It is legal but people who oppose it say it is used as a cover for hunting foxes. At least one case I know of proves that this happens.

The Countryside Alliance really don't want trail hunting banned. Perhaps that's why some newspapers and MPs have been deriding the National Trust on a wide range of issues in recent times. More information here.

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/national-trust-countryside-alliance-director-north-yorkshire-b963441.html

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/20/foxhound-body-director-encouraged-fox-hunts-court-hears

I have never understood any kind of hunting. What do people get out of hunting and killing a poor defenceless Animal.

I thought fox hunting was illegal anyway.

Yes Polly I’m with you in that I don’t agree with fox hunting. But it’s illegal anyway.

My thoughts exactly Lilydrop.
I wonder how those that do it would feel if their pet cat/dog was mauled to death by another animal?.
And in nature that does happen.

this is the legal stance

But hunts do go ahead, usually on private estate land.

I'm surprised it wasn't banned earlier on NT land to be honest

Trail hunting can be used as a cover for fox hunting, which still goes on, despite being illegal.
There are ways and means to do it, if you're determined and entitled enough.

The culture warriors have been active alongside covid which prevented the AGM last year.

But the culture warriors have been seen off by the more progressive arm of the NT,and their membership as gone up as a result.

Win win all around.

There is an article here about how the law is manipulated

This is a blog which is quite distressing but shows the other side

About time too.

Not NT land, but recently the local hunt here worried some alpacas on private land. They had not asked the landowners permission to hunt there!

Good results but where did you find the figure of the 21,000 proxy votes, Urmston? I saw that members could authorise the chairman to vote on their behalf and wondered what the point of that would be (either vote or abstain??). 21,000 apparatchiks is a lot.

Where I used to live we often saw the hunt and the hounds occasionally got into our garden. They were really thin, to keep them keen I suppose, poor things. After fox hunting was outlawed I challenged the master when they all appeared one day, asking him what they were doing as fox hunting was illegal. ‘Hunting for rabbits madam.’ Yeah, right. I reported them to the police who just weren’t interested.

It is the laying of a 'scent' for dogs and riders to follow rather than chasing a fox.

Oh, it's drag hunting. Not sure why the old established terminology has to be changed. Drag hunting isn't illegal.

Right from the start of the anti blood sports movement I've felt that it is in part motivated by an 'anti toffs' feeling.

There were probably thousands more innocent bunnies slaughtered each year (and continue to be so) by 'lampers' with dogs, but they operate in the dark, at night, and aren't high profile at all... They're not very well off, either...

Does anyone have strong feelings about saving the bunnies, or is it just foxes that get all the love?

well hare coursing is illegal as well

and they often just abandon the dogs and leave them behind

Your argument is unsubstantiated by the fact that hunting isn't just for toffs, as has been pointed out on here.
Personally, I'm not in favour of and find it sickening that any person could gain pleasure from killing an animal for "sport".

It's about time these cruel 'traditions' were laid to rest (along with cock fighting, bear and badger baiting etc.) so I'm glad to see the NT get with the times.

Good news. This is about attempting to uphold the law, hunting with dogs is illegal in this county and this is a way of getting around it. I don't know why hunts feel they can act with impunity.

I loathe all blood sports. The class of people carrying out these abhorrent 'sports' is irrelevant. How can anyone gain satisfaction from killing an innocent animal? Absolutely disgusting.