National Trust bans trail hunting on its land
This article serves to remind us of the scale and reach of the National Trust as a landowner….It reports:
The National Trust will stop issuing licences for trail hunts on its land, the charity’s board of trustees said.
Trail hunting is legal and sees dogs and riders follow an artificial scent along an agreed route. It differs from traditional fox hunts which are banned.
In 2020, the National Trust suspended trail licences after video emerged of a prominent huntsman advising how to use them for covert illegal fox hunts.
Following his conviction, trust members voted to ban trail hunts on its land.
Using dogs to chase or kill foxes was made illegal in England and Wales in the Hunting Act 2004. Many organisations instead turned to trail hunting which involves laying a scent for hounds to chase instead of a live animal.
In October, huntsman Mark Hankinson was ordered to pay £3,500 after Westminster Magistrates’ Court concluded he was “clearly encouraging the mirage of trail laying to act as cover for old fashioned illegal hunting”.
Harry Bowell, the National Trust’s director of land and nature, said there had been “a loss of trust and confidence in the Masters of Foxhounds Association” – where Hankinson was a director.
He said other reasons behind the decision included “the considerable resources needed to facilitate trail hunting, and the reputational risk of the activity continuing trust our land”.
The move to ban trail hunting applies to the trust’s land in England and Wales. No hunting is allowed on Northern Irish trust land.