20 years on from a controversial hunting ban, do we need stronger legislations to protect Lincolnshire’s countryside?

Campaigners who believe the law against fox hunting is ‘regularly manipulated’ are calling for stronger legislations to protect the county’s countryside – 20 years on from the ban.

Since the controversial Hunting Act was enforced by Labour government in 2004, animal rights activists have been highlighting the industry’s deceit across Lincolnshire, including Rutland, for nearly a decade.

The ban introduced trail hunting, which is a ‘cruelty free’ alternative where a scent is laid by a horse rider, and the hounds follow this through the countryside.

However, many campaigners have stated the law is full of ‘loopholes’ which are abused on a regular basis.

Luke Tucker, 30, is part of the Northants Saboteurs, which is an anti-hunt group which is passionate about highlighting the illegal activity in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

The group has monitored the Cottesmore Hunt, which regularly hunts in Rutland, for about seven years.

Its one of the oldest foxhound packs in Britain and members who are part of the traditional practice hope the Hunting Act will be repealed, or ‘considerably’ amended.

Luke, who has been a saboteur for eight years, is fighting for a different outcome, he said: “Fox hunting is rife. It happens every week and we see some sort of illegal activity every time.

“The hunts are using trail hunting as a way to get around it.

“As a group our aim is to close the Cottesmore Hunt because we’ve documented its illegality on all levels, but on a wider scale we hope Labour will remain committed to ban trail hunting.”

The Northants Saboteurs intervene in a hunt if they see huntsmen taking part in illegal activity – and depending on the severity, this information is sent to the police.

Members will also record the hunt and document it on social media platforms.

However, their presence often causes a bitter atmosphere. Luke added: “There are lots of threats and violence which go on, which isn’t nice to receive on a fairly regular basis.

“Apart from the violence, the worst situation I have had to deal with happened during one of the Cottesmore Hunts about six years ago.

“We caught them chasing a fox with hounds and they eventually got it. I had to pull the fox from the hounds mouth and was holding it in my hand.

“It does affect you but you have to keep focused, because unfortunately within the next half an hour they were trying to hunt for more.”

The main fox hunting season usually takes place between the end of October to early April.

It is said that hunting groups train their hounds beforehand by killing cubs, and disguise the practice under ‘autumn hunting’ or ‘hound exercise’.

This usually takes place between August and October.

Protect the Wild is a non-profit organisation which strives to empower people to protect British wildlife, and often work alongside saboteur groups by providing funding and equipment.

The campaign group also creates hard-hitting animations for social media platforms to educate viewers – one of their latest videos on cubbing, has had more than 3.4 million views on TikTok.

Protect the Wild founder, Rob Pownall, says the illegal hunts not only break the law, but also create widespread damage across the countryside to sensitive habitats, breeding birds and conservation efforts which are being done to restore ecosystems.

He added: “Instead of protecting wildlife, hunts cause ecological damage under the guise of ‘tradition’.

"Cubbing is one of the clearest examples of how fox hunting remains illegal in practice, despite what the hunting industry would like the public to believe.

“Sharing the truth on social media helps grow a mass movement that demands change and holds the hunting industry accountable.

“What happens during cubbing lays bare the truth: the law is riddled with loopholes, and those loopholes are being abused.

“That’s why Protect the Wild and other groups are calling for stronger legislation to finally end hunting with dogs, in all its forms.”

Lincolnshire Police Rural Crime Action Team state there have been two prosecutions linked to illegal fox hunting, including the Burton Hunt last year.

DC wildlife crime officer, Aaron Flint said: “The main issue we have is a lack of information coming in.

“Historically we get very few incidents reported to the police regarding illegal fox hunting in Lincolnshire and this is still the case today, although we have seen a slight increase in reporting since our recent prosecution of the Burton Hunt.

“We regularly police the fox hunts in Lincolnshire during the season, although due to the fact we get very limited numbers of calls for service or intelligence reports related to fox hunting, it is very difficult for us to identify and use targeted policing on any hunt that may be acting illegally.

“The hunting and killing of foxes with hounds is cruel and illegal, all reports relating to this are taken very seriously and investigated fully.”

Alongside the welfare concerns to foxes and other hunted wild mammals, animal rights activists are keen to highlight the risks and injuries hounds and horses are put through during a hunt.

A spokesperson from Action Against Fox Hunting, which is a national organisation dedicated to raising awareness about illegal fox hunting said: “Hunting is recreational animal abuse.

“Kennels are rarely inspected, if ever.

“The cost of veterinary treatment for (probably) sixty or so dogs is astronomical, so kennel men use their own traditional methods to ’treat’ sick, injured and old hounds, including shooting them in the head when they are no longer of any use.”

Olly Hughes, Managing Director of the British Hound Sports Association, said: “Trail hunting is a lawful and regulated countryside activity, compliant with the Hunting Act. Since 2005, more than 280,000 days of trail hunting have taken place with fewer than 30 convictions of BHSA-registered hunts — clear proof that when offences occur, the law is enforced.

“The facts are clear: trail hunting is lawful, regulated and responsible.”

The Cottesmore Hunt was contacted for a comment.

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