Countryside Alliance

[Mr. X]

" 1. The RSPB's eagle owl dilemma
2. Hunting Regulatory Authority article
3. Arctic dog sled 2011 - second trip added
4. Welsh fishery gets Ministerial seal of approval
5. The 2010 Game Fair

Join the Countryside Alliance
The RSPB's eagle owl dilemma

Local people have known about the existence of a pair of eagle owls on the RSPB's upland reserve at Geltsdale since they first bred there in 2009, but the presence of these incredible birds with their 6 foot wingspan is something that the RSPB had been doing its best to keep under tight wraps. That is until questions started being asked in the media, and the RSPB finally had to admit to the pair, which this year fledged two young.

According to the RSPB, they were not quite ready to publicise the presence of their eagle owls at Geltsdale because the balance of risk to the birds was unfavourable. In stark contrast, however, the charity was only too happy to publicise the pair of rare purple herons that nested for the first time in the UK in May this year, despite the fact that the young had still to hatch. It believed the risk of doing so was very small, and a viewing station was even provided so that visitors could share the historic moment.

Why then does the society have a different attitude towards publicising the successful breeding pair of eagle owls on its showcase moorland reserve? The RSPB's problem with eagle owls is that they are top predators and, like other birds of prey, eat lots of other birds. With most birds of prey that is not an issue, but the eagle owl has a particular taste for hen harriers which are the RSPB's favourite raptor. Only last month an eagle owl was caught on CCTV attacking a hen harrier in the Forest of Bowland. The hen harrier has not been seen since, and its nest failed.

Back at Geltsdale this is the fourth year running that hen harriers have failed to breed on the reserve. When hen harriers fail to breed on grouse moors the RSPB uses their absence as conclusive evidence that hen harriers are being persecuted, by implication to protect shooting interests. If we assume that the RSPB is not going to accuse itself of illegal persecution one of the factors contributing to the failure of hen harrier nests might well be predation by eagle owls.

One therefore cannot help wondering when the RSPB will finally have to admit that some raptors, in some circumstances, may need to be managed. A fact that many conservationists have recognised for a long time; but one which the RSPB has so far failed to acknowledge.

Hunting Regulatory Authority article

Many of you will have seen The Sunday Telegraph's piece "Hunt supporters offer compromise deal to try and overturn ban on hunting" published on Sunday 4th July. The article by Melissa Kite reported that "Hunts have backed plans for the sport to be put under tight regulation to stamp out any unnecessary cruelty if hunting was made legal. The proposal, led by Lord Donoughue, the senior Labour peer, has also won the backing of Tory and Labour MPs and peers."

The piece described the proposed Hunting Regulatory Authority and quoted Lord Donoughue as saying: "There is very strong support for the regulatory body within the sport. I think there is a reasonable chance that with a fair wind from the government we could get this through the Lords and I think there is a fair chance that we would get it through the Commons."

The Countryside Alliance was quoted in the article as saying "The Hunting Act must be repealed, but we are putting in place an independent system to regulate hunting rather than going back to the pre-ban status quo."

Read the article in full here.
Arctic dog sled 2011 - second trip added

Owing to an overwhelming demand for places, the Countryside Alliance is running a second dog sled challenge in 2011.

With your own team of huskies Sled 200 kilometres across the Arctic wilds of Norway and raise money for the Countryside Alliance's vital campaigning work.

The ultimate challenge for those with a longing for adventure and a desire to visit this breathtaking Arctic wilderness.

For more information click here or call the Events team on 0207 840 9298.
Welsh fishery gets Ministerial seal of approval

The Llyn y Fan trout and salmon hatchery, Wales's largest privately owned fish hatchery, based at Llangadog in Carmarthenshire, won the Rural Enterprise Award at the Countryside Alliance Awards in January. Sadly, owing to poor weather, the owners were unable to attend the winners' reception at the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff.

Happily, Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones AM (holding the red plaque in the above picture) was able to visit the fishery this week to congratulate them in person. Owners Olwen Hardwick and Jim Bradshaw were happy to meet Elin Jones along with Countryside Alliance Director for Wales, Rachel Evans (far left of picture), who chairs the Awards judging panel in Wales. Read more about this story here.

The Countryside Alliance Awards exist to celebrate our rural produce, skills, heritage, enterprise and communities through the people who work so hard to make rural life tick. The sixth annual Awards will open to nominations on 6th September.


The 2010 Game Fair

The CLA Game Fair will take place at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire from 23rd-25th July. The Countryside Alliance will, as ever, have a large presence at the show and next week we'll tell you more about the exciting events you can expect on our stand (number A60, near the main arena).
Visit the show website at gamefair.co.uk -Welcome to The CLA Game Fair 2010 at Ragley Hall. Countryside Alliance staff and volunteers look forward to seeing you there."

 

[Mr. X]

Re: Countryside Alliance - Sea Anglers

Almost missed this relevant post:

" 1. Stand up for your civil liberties
2. Shooting campaign
3. Have your say on European animal welfare policy
4. Marine Conservation Zones and Sea Anglers

Join the Countryside Alliance

Stand up for your civil liberties


The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has today launched 'Your Freedom' an opportunity for people to engage with the Government by suggesting laws and regulations that should be repealed. Mr Clegg has asked people to concentrate on three areas:

* Laws that have eroded civil liberties
* Regulations that stifle the way charities and businesses work
* Laws that are not required and which are likely to see law-abiding citizens criminalised

As a law which has absolutely eroded the liberty of those who hunt, which a Government Inquiry confirmed had no purpose and which has seen many ordinary law abiding citizens having to fight criminal charges the Hunting Act should be first on the list for repeal.

However, whilst Mr Clegg never voted on the Hunting Act as he was elected to Parliament in 2005 after it became law, he has said that if there was a vote on its repeal: "I would vote to keep the legislation as it is" and 35 of his Liberal Democrat MPs have signed an EDM saying that they would do likewise.

As you will be aware there is a commitment in the Government's Coalition Agreement to hold a free vote on the repeal of the Hunting Act, but the Deputy Prime Minister's 'Your Freedom' project is an opportunity to explain in clear terms to him and other MPs who oppose repeal exactly how hypocritical their position is. You cannot be a defender of civil liberties and a scourge of bad law whilst opposing the repeal of the Hunting Act. Civil liberties do not stop in suburbia and the rural community has as much right to be protected from infringements of its liberty and bad laws as any other minority.

A submission on the repeal of the Hunting Act on the Your Freedom site sums up the situation: "The Hunting Act is both a very bad law and an affront to civil liberties. Its repeal would signal a break from the prejudice and class war of the previous parliament and a new relationship between the Government and the countryside.

"Most of all the repeal of the Hunting Act would confirm that Britain is a mature liberal democracy within which the rights of minorities are respected even if their activities are not supported by all. The alternative is Government by opinion poll and the Hunting Act is a classic example of how legislating on the basis of prejudice, rather than evidence and principle, creates bad law."

Click here to 'rate' the repeal of the Hunting Act and add your comments in support of repeal on the Deputy Prime Minister's new Your Freedom site. You will have to register first and can then use this link to return to the right page.

The 'Your Freedom' website has been experiencing technical difficulties due to volume of traffic. If you struggle to get through please try retuning later on.


Shooting campaign

The Alliance campaigns vigorously to change public and political attitudes towards shooting. All our campaigning activity is based on extensive research into the reasons why the public will support shooting. In this way, if you are a member, not a single penny of your money is wasted.

It is a fantastic time of year to join the Alliance and become part of our vital campaigning work. Membership includes a comprehensive 'country sports' insurance.

Visit our shooting pages for the latest campaigning news, and details of how to become an Alliance member.

Have your say on European animal welfare policy

The European Commission has commissioned a public opinion survey on European animal welfare policy, and it is important that all those with an interest take part. Called "Evaluation of the EU Policy on Animal Welfare" the survey closes on 31 July 2010 (click here to take part). Question 11(i) asks whether or not it is important that the EU is involved in animal welfare policy for wild animals. The UK branch of European hunting federation, FACE, of which the Countryside Alliance is a member, believes Member States should decide what animal welfare rules should apply to wild animals, not the EU. Answering Question 11(i) "strongly disagree" will make it clear that animal welfare in respect of wild animals should remain a matter for individual Member States.

When participating in the survey, apart from the first page, you do not have to answer any question if you don't want to. Your response can be submitted whether you answer one or all the questions posed.


Marine Conservation Zones and Sea Anglers



The Marine Conservation Zone Project is being led by Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) to identify and recommend Marine Conservation Zones to Government. Marine Conservation Zones are a new designation introduced by the Marine and Coastal Access Act. Marine Conservation Zones will be part of a wider network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These designations will impact directly on sea anglers.

Sea angling includes anyone who catches fish with a rod or line as a leisure activity, not for commercial gain. They also include those who gather shellfish, such as mussels for their own use at home and they may also include and record bait collecting activities such as lugworm digging and crab tiling. A wide variety of restrictions can be applied in MCZs including 'No Take' zones. It is therefore very important that all those with an interest make their voices heard at the consultation stage.

The Marine Conservation Zone Project will be delivered through four Regional Projects covering south-west seas - Finding Sanctuary, the Irish Sea- Irish Sea Conservation Zones, the North Sea - Net Gain, and south-east seas - Balanced Seas. They will work with sea users and interest groups to identify Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and provide recommendations for sites within their regions to Government.

Full details of these projects, how to become involved and contact details in your area can be found here:
Finding Sanctuary
Irish Sea Conservation Zones
Net Gain
Balanced Seas
"

 

[Mr. X]

" 1. Participate in review of gun legislation
2. Marine Conservation Zones update
3. Squirrel case prompts debate
4. The Community Right to Build
5. The future of nature in England - make your voice heard
6. Win a day's shooting for eight guns

Join the Countryside Alliance
Participate in review of gun legislation

Members of the shooting community have until 27th August to make submissions to a new inquiry into firearms control, set up by the Home Affairs Select Committee in the wake of the Cumbria shootings. We already have serious concerns that this inquiry has been set up before the results of the Cumbrian Police investigation have been announced, but we cannot simply ignore it. The Countryside Alliance will be making a full and robust response.

The one million people who are licensed to shoot in the UK take their responsibilities in owning and using legal firearms incredibly seriously, and we are confident that their common sense approach will be represented to the Committee. We will continue to work with the Government and relevant authorities to ensure that events like that which occurred in Cumbria are even less likely, but we should all make it clear that now is not the time for kneejerk legislation which has no effect whatsoever on reducing gun crime. As the Prime Minister observed, you cannot legislate for a switch flicking in someone's head.

The Committee, chaired by Keith Vaz MP, will examine whether or not there is a need for changes to the way in which firearms and/or shotgun certificates are issued, monitored or reviewed as a means of preventing gun violence. In particular the inquiry will focus on the extent to which legally-held guns are used in criminal activity and the relationship between gun control and gun crime, including the impact of the Firearms (Amendment) Acts 1997; whether or not the current laws governing firearms licensing are fit for purpose; proposals to improve information-sharing between medics and the police in respect of gun licensing; information-sharing between police and prisons in assessing the risk of offenders who may have access to firearms and the danger presented by, and legislation regulating, airguns.

Shooting is worth £1.6 billion to the UK economy, supporting the equivalent of 70,000 jobs and shooters spend £250 million a year on habitat and wildlife management. Those who play a part in this are not the criminals. We cannot turn the clock back to take away what happened in Cumbria on that dreadful day, but we can make our case calmly and with common sense; now is not time for over-reaction, but for proceeding on the facts - and everyone who shoots should help to provide those facts.

You can respond via email to homeaffcom@parliament.uk or in writing to
Home Affairs Committee
House of Commons
7 Millbank
London SW1P 3JA
Telephone 020 7219 3276

Click here for a note on written evidence from the Committee's website.

The Committee is seeking written submissions of no more than 2,500 words from interested parties, before it takes oral evidence on this inquiry. Organisations and individuals interested in making written submissions are invited to do so by Friday 27th August 2010.

Go to Countryside Alliance - our shooting campaign for more information on our shooting campaign and on Countryside Alliance work following the shootings in Cumbria.
Marine Conservation Zones update

It seems that the Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) Project may be being targeted by pressure groups with an agenda which would like to see total bans on fishing activities within the zones and that these would include the recreational angler.

We are very much aware of the potential problems of "no take zones" forming part of the regimes operating within designated MCZs. We have been working closely with members, and through our communications networks, to ensure that local recreational anglers are aware of proposals and fully involved in the process. We would, however, urge local members to take an active part in the consultation process to ensure that a balanced outcome is achieved which is acceptable to conservationists and anglers alike. The first MCZ Newsletter was issued in Spring 2010 and the second was published last week. Click to receive the first Newsletter, which includes an additional link to subscribe to further editions. Read more on this issue on our website at Countryside Alliance - home
Squirrel case prompts debate

The news of a prosecution by the RSPCA of Raymond Elliot, who trapped and killed a squirrel, caused a ripple in the media and extensive debate on "the best way" to do it. Mr Elliot chose drowning, believing it to be the best way, although it falls foul of the Animal Welfare Act 2006; the "best way" is far from clear cut.

The government guidelines on squirrel dispatch are sketchy. Defra confirms that once trapped, a grey squirrel should not be released back into the wild owing to its status as a non-native species in the UK.

Defra's preferred methods could cause distress to the animals: finding an air rifle, loading it, and firing it through the holes of a cage to dispatch the vermin makes sense but could take longer than "popping it in a bag and whacking it over the head" which has different challenges, especially finding the head when an angry squirrel is running around a sack. Applying for a licence to release the squirrel would also prolong the suffering as there is an inevitable delay whilst the paperwork is squared away.

Whilst other options may have been preferable, the advice on squirrel dispatch is limited and hardly everyday reading. Mr Elliot has been prosecuted, forced to pay costs and made a criminal in the eyes of the law for doing what he thought was right. As one commentator said of this case, perhaps Mr Elliot would have been better taking the squirrel to his local RSPCA shelter and let them do it.
The Community Right to Build

The Department for Communities and Local Government has launched a new initiative called "Community Right to Build". It asks "If you and your neighbours had the power to decide, how would you develop your community?"

This initiative hopes to harness people power and allow communities "to get together and take forward developments for new homes, shops and facilities in their area". It will put community wishes above planning permission, and you can have your say .

Read more about the Community Right to Build here and contact the Department with views or to ask for how to get involved at righttobuild@communities.gsi.gov.uk
The future of nature in England - make your voice heard

Defra has published a new discussion document, An invitation to shape the Nature of England, seeking views on what is needed to secure a healthy and prosperous future for our natural environment. Defra wants to hear from everyone about the success, or otherwise, of existing policies and practices designed to protect England's natural assets and what might be needed to address existing or future environmental challenges. This is a real opportunity to review the legislation and policies that affect you as individuals, land managers or businesses and suggest what needs to be changed or amended to keep the countryside a healthy and thriving place.

If you'd like to tell us what legislation or policies you believe require attention get in touch with Charley May at the Countryside Alliance, who is collating responses. Email Charley on charley-may@countryside-alliance.org or visit Defra's website to respond to the consultation yourself here.
Win a day's shooting for eight guns

Roxtons Fieldsports, bespoke sporting agents, have teamed up with the Countryside Alliance to raffle a day's shooting for 8 guns at one of their top estates.

Win a 300 bird pheasant or partridge day for a line of eight guns at one of Roxtons' premier shoots which include the fabled Miltons in Somerset, Drynachan in Invernesshire and Hurdcott in Wiltshire. The shoot and date is to be mutually agreed for the 2011/12 season. The prize includes one night's bed and breakfast in a local hotel, transport and all refreshments on the shoot day and a Roxtons host.

The prize is worth up to £14,000. Tickets are priced at £25 each and are limited to 2,500. The winning ticket will be drawn at the 2011 Game Fair at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

To enter go to Countryside Alliance On-line Shop or request a flyer from the Countryside Alliance Events office on 0207 840 9200."

 

[Mr. X]

" 1. The 12th is glorious for conservation
2. Guidance on responding to Inquiry into Firearms Control
3. "Public education" or flat broke?

Join the Countryside Alliance
The 12th is glorious for conservation

As the Glorious Twelfth gets the 2010 grouse shooting season off to what has reportedly been an excellent start despite the harsh winter, the Moorland Association has published some figures to show the massive contribution land managers make to our upland landscapes.

Everyone who loves country sports loves a good statistic: shooting contributes £1.6bn to the economy; 4 million people go angling every year; 57% of people believe the Hunting Act is not working. Now, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Moorland Association has carried out a survey that shows how much time and money is put into shooting and conservation in upland areas, and there are plenty of positive statistics to enjoy.

The survey has found that in the last decade grouse moor owners have regenerated an area of English upland moorland the size of Birmingham, smashing the Government's conservation target by 170%. This figure is impressive, but there's more.

The survey also reveals that the annual financial cost of managing the grouse moors in England and Wales is now in excess of £52.5 million, 90% of which is privately funded by conservation-minded landowners. Heather moorland used to cover a third of the uplands of England and Wales but this has dwindled to just one fifth over the past 70 years despite it being rarer than rainforest. If not for landowners and their commitment our moorlands would be in steep decline, but as it is Britain is now responsible for 75% of what remains in the world, giving us a huge responsibility to restore, manage and protect every inch of it.
Photo: Laurie Campbell

The survey brought more good news: the industry now employs 350 gamekeepers, a rise of 25% since 2000, and creates 42,500 days of work a year for contractors and local people on shoot days. In addition 6,500 nights are booked in rural hotels by people who come from all over the world to shoot the grouse, a bird that is totally wild and which is only found in Britain. 257 miles of traditional dry stone walls and fencing have been improved or built to help manage grazing - roughly the distance from London to Penzance, whilst 65 square miles of invasive bracken have been treated to stop it swamping and killing other moorland plants and over 1.1 million native trees have been planted in moorland gills, recreating lost habitat, especially for the rare Black Grouse.

Where moorland has been managed for grouse shooting, everything flourishes - the landscapes, the people and the economy. An uplands future based on shooting's successful management model, with responsibility lying with those who already manage the land is common sense and we hope the healthy snapshot described by the Moorland Association's survey can continue for many decades to come. Grouse moors are a true conservation success story, and something glorious to be celebrated.

Guidance on responding to Inquiry into Firearms Control

You have until 27th August to make submissions to a new inquiry into firearms control, set up by the Home Affairs Select Committee in the wake of the Cumbria shootings. Here at the Countryside Alliance, we already have serious concerns that this inquiry has been set up before the results of the Cumbrian Police investigation have been announced, but we cannot simply ignore it. While the Countryside Alliance will be making a full and robust response, individual voices must be heard by the committee because you can be sure that those lobbying to ban guns will be doing exactly the same thing.

You don't need to write to the maximum limit of 2500 words - a short, polite response is better than not sending one. The Countryside Alliance has posted some advice online, offering guidance under the headings: "Use of legally held guns in crime"; "Fitness for purpose of current firearms law"; "Improvement of information sharing between medics" and '"Danger' presented by, and legislation regulating, airguns". Read the guidance here.

You can respond via email to homeaffcom@parliament.uk or in writing to Home Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA

Keep up to date with the Countryside Alliance's shooting campaign and get discounted deals on Countryside Alliance membership, which includes excellent shooting insurance. Go to Countryside Alliance - Join the Countryside Alliance

"Public education" or flat broke?

You may have seen that the League Against Cruel Sports has this week launched what it calls a "public education campaign" to "see off" the campaign for repeal. In launching this latest drive there were the usual claims about the success of the Act and the high conviction rate - read a news story in the Western Daily Press here. The truth is somewhat different.

It took £30 million to get the Hunting Act onto the Statute Book in the first place - the League was central to this, yet it still got things wrong and is now trying to justify its position.

The bigger picture for the organisation, and the real reason it is selling off some of its land, is that it is clearly trying to stem diminishing funding that would appear to be the result of ever decreasing support. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The anti-hunting lobby has lost the argument; the Hunting Act is a bad law that has been criticised by the media, the police, the judiciary, many veterinarians and recently senior Whitehall officials. Only last week the Government's own response to a recently closed online petition calling for repeal of the Hunting Act was to say the Act "has not been a demonstrable success, and is difficult to enforce. It is an unnecessary drain on police resources and there have been few prosecutions. Only three hunts have been successfully prosecuted for illegal hunting."
The Hunting Act is thoroughly discredited and no amount of million pound "public education" drives and shrill commentary about majority support can resuscitate a law that needs to be consigned to history. The public and various bodies who have educated themselves about the Hunting Act can see it has failed; perhaps the League should do the same."

 

[Mr. X]

"Blair admits he lied" - www.IrishCentral.com

"Blair May Axe Book Signing After Protests " - www.SkyNews.co.uk

"Kate OSullivan from Cork who attempted to make a citizens arrest on former Prime Minister Tony Blair... poses for photographers outside of Eason bookshop in Dublin on September 4, 2010. Activist Kate OSullivan managed to get through tight security to confront Blair, I went up to him and I said Mr Blair, I'm here to make a citizens arrest for the war crimes that you've committed, she said. .... AFP" - www.SkyNews.co.uk

[Political memoirs: available from secondhand books stores, charity shops, car boot sales & libraries everywhere, esp. just after Christmas. Recycle by leaving your copy for others to read, freely - or burn for heat in winter.]

"1. Blair and hunting - the truth
2. New Forest online auction
3. East of England tops Awards leader board
4. Forthcoming events

Join the Countryside Alliance
Blair and hunting - the truth

Tony Blair's reputation for not being wholly wedded to the truth has been supported by more important evidence than his behaviour over the Hunting Act, but that issue and his re-writing of history in his newly published memoir, 'A Journey,' typifies his delusion. In it he says that the hunting ban is "one of the domestic legislative measures I most regret," but claims he ensured that the Hunting Act was "a masterly British compromise" that left enough loopholes to allow hunting to continue "provided certain steps were taken to avoid cruelty when the fox is killed."

To anyone with the most limited understanding of the Parliamentary process that put the Act on the Statute Book this is complete and utter nonsense. Blair's Government, after a Government Inquiry and years of public and political debate, published a Hunting Bill in December 2002. That Bill did not seek to ban hunting. It would have allowed fox hunting and other activities to continue if they could persuade a tribunal they could meet twin tests based on 'utility' and 'cruelty'. The Bill would, however, have banned stag hunting and coursing outright. In defiance of all logic, but to no one's surprise, Labour MPs in the House of Commons rejected the Government's proposals for licensing and, led by Gerald Kaufman and the late Tony Banks, turned the bill into a complete ban on all hunting.

The House of Lords, however, was ready to compromise and instead of rejecting the ban entirely turned the Bill back into its original 'licensing' form. Although, after Defra Minister Alun Michael's claim that there was incontrovertible evidence that staghunting was cruel was condemned as 'scientifically illiterate' by the scientist who carried out the definitive study of staghunting, the Lords did amend the original licensing Bill to allow the tribunal to consider applications for a licence from all types of hunts. It also introduced a conservation element into the tests so that hunts could support license applications on the grounds of environmental benefits.

With only 20% of even Labour peers supporting it there was quite obviously no way that the House of Lords was ever going to support a total ban on hunting. Without the support of peers a ban could only be passed using the mighty constitutional hammer of the Parliament Acts (the very rarely used route by which Bills can become law without the assent of the House of Lords) which put Blair in a remarkably strong position to push through a classic New Labour 'middle way' resolution.

But by the summer of 2004 things were not going well for Blair in the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). Iraq, Foundation Hospitals and any number of other unpopular policies were causing dissent in the ranks and at every PLP meeting one issue was at the top of backbenchers' agenda: they wanted the Hunting Act back in its banning form in a timescale that would engage the Parliament Act. Gerald Kaufman even wrote a comment piece in The Guardian stating that he would vote against the Government on Foundation Hospitals for the first time in his long, long parliamentary career if it did not give him a hunting ban. By July Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong and Leader of the House Peter Hain, never shy of trying to endear himself to his colleagues, went to Blair and told him that they could not hold the PLP unless he gave them their hunting ban, and he agreed in the full knowledge of exactly what he was doing.

For the first and only time in 13 years of Labour Government, Parliament was recalled in September. The Hunting Bill was brought back as a total ban and on September 15th 2004 it passed all stages in the Commons in one day despite massive demonstrations. Blair emerged from Downing Street to vote against the ban, but this act, like the denials in his book, was completely duplicitous. By bringing back the Bill and engaging the Parliament Act he had sabotaged a carefully crafted position which should have allowed the Government and parliament to agree a workable licensing regime.

The Daily Telegraph's Matt cartoon, November 2004

The law that was passed does not allow hunting to continue "provided certain steps were taken to avoid cruelty when the fox is killed". It bans nearly all hunting of nearly all species. This was not "a masterly British compromise," it was a craven retreat from evidence and logic for short term political ends. If there is any compromise it is in the enforcement of the law, and Blair can claim no credit for passing an Act which is both so illogical and so reviled by every single person it is meant to affect that the police take the view that they have better things to do than try and make it work.

Tony Blair's re-writing of history is not going to fool anyone. He, and he alone, was responsible for the rejection of the 'middle way' proposals for licensed hunting and the passing of a complete ban on all hunting. A compromise was on the table, but by bringing back the Hunting Bill as a complete ban in a timetable that allowed the Parliament Acts to be used he created one of the most illiberal, ineffective and wasteful laws of modern times. The fact that he knew what he was doing was wrong makes his actions more reprehensible, not less.
New Forest online auction

The New Forest Online Auction is currently inviting bids for the lots listed below - country sports lovers in the South of England will be especially tempted! The lots on offer are:

* Half a day (4 hours) cruise in the Solent on board "Westbreeze" - a 26ft luxury hardtop motorcruiser for up to 4 people and including a picnic lunch. Depart from Lymington. To be taken before the end of October.
* VIP tour of the New Forest Hounds' kennels in the company of a Master and the Huntsman for up to 10 people. To include refreshments.
* Limited edition print of Lionel Edwards painting of New Forest Hounds 1912. Framed, approx 28" x 22". Image of print can be emailed at request.
* Day's Fishing on the River Test at Bransbury Mill, Prior mid-October or during 2011 Season, Kindly donated by Sally Merison

Please email your highest bid to sara-rutherford@countryside-alliance.org Last bids 10th September 12 midnight. Successful bidders will be contacted on Monday 14th September.

East of England tops Awards leader board

As the sixth Countryside Alliance Awards get underway, the East of England has emerged as the top Award winner of the previous five years. The region has won three national titles and taken four national commendations - the most of all the twelve competing regions and just ahead of Yorkshire, the South of England and Wales. "The Rural Oscars" are the Countryside Alliance's annual celebration of rural businesses, produce and communities and are public-nomination led. You can nominate in the 2010 Awards here.

The Eastern region's overall dominance is threatened by Yorkshire and Wales, who routinely do very well in the food category, and Scotland, who are tough to beat in the enterprise category. Findings include:

. In the Local Food category, both Yorkshire and the South of England have taken the national title twice
. Community-run initiatives have scored highly in the Village Shop/ Post Office title on three occasions
. Scotland has won the Enterprise Award for the last two years
. The Enterprise category is dominated by "diversify or close" initiatives such as a buffalo farm and a pub-cum-deli
. The Traditional Business winners boast a combined business-age of 315 years over several generations
. Heroism appears to be an East of England trait with easterners Ian Pigott and Rev Canon Alan Robson each scooping a Rural Hero Award

Having run the Awards for five years it was a good time to take stock and see if patterns were emerging across the categories; if one region was strong in one category but not others; which corner of Britain is best for food and which for rural skills.

What we have found is that the East of England is excellent overall while other areas are more specialised: village shops seem to go the distance for their communities more in the Midlands while the entrepreneurial spirit seems to be more of a northern trait. Traditional skills such as in butchery or bespoke clothing are thankfully widespread, meaning you will find an exceptional butcher or a well cut jacket in most parts of Britain. In the countryside, tradition and enterprise are both very much in evidence. It is encouraging to see that, even though the East of England is a great all-rounder, every part of Britain is making its contribution.

Nominations can be made at Countryside Alliance Awards - Awards Home until late October. Email awards@countryside-alliance.org with your name and address if you would like some nomination forms and posters."

 

[Mr. X]

1. Our work in Ireland
2. Game Pub Chef of the year
3. New Chief Executive for the League
4. Councils urged to "think rural" in budgets
5. Gundog Crufts victory and a hunt spaniel
6. Point to Point meetings this weekend

Join the Countryside Alliance
Our work in Ireland
There is no better time than St Patrick's Day to update you on Countryside Alliance Ireland's busy ongoing workload. Countryside Alliance Ireland Chief Executive, Lyall Plant, and his team can count numerous successes of late.

You will recall that in mid-December the Northern Ireland Assembly rejected a Private Member's Hunting Bill virtually identical to the Hunting Act 2004. At the time, Ulster Unionist South Down MLA John McCallister said: "I am concerned that this Bill is the thin edge of the wedge for our rural way of life. First this Bill then shooting, then fishing - you do not want to go down that road. Why would you tie up police resources when you have many other issues to deal with? It criminalises some of our most law-abiding citizens." At the time we praised MLAs for their common sense and appreciation of rural life and values. Concerted and co-ordinated efforts of Countryside Alliance Ireland in putting hunting's case and mobilising supporters to make their views known helped to see this Bill defeated, but the team is aware that the issue may return.

The Northern Ireland Assembly, which will see elections take place in May as will the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament, is currently considering numerous pieces of legislation focusing on animal welfare and the countryside. The Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill and the Welfare of Animals Bill are two such Bills on which Countryside Alliance Ireland (CAI) has briefed and lobbied, including as they do the status of the Irish Hare and tail docking. In respect of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill, The Alliance Party was intent on obtaining full and permanent protection for the Irish hare. This obviously could have led to the demise of the many beagle and harrier packs within Northern Ireland. The CAI team lobbied hard to defeat this threat and presented evidence of the great conservation work undertaken by these packs and indeed everyone interested in the management of the species. This particular concern was overcome much to the relief of the hunting community in Northern Ireland.

The Welfare of Animals Bill reached its Final Stage on 22nd February and is now awaiting Royal Assent. CAI is delighted to report that the Act now includes an exemption for the prophylactic docking of working dogs' tails. All evidence that CAI presented demonstrated that without an exemption this clause would have had a severely detrimental effect on the welfare of working dogs. It would have been preposterous that a Bill that was designed to improve animal welfare would have had the opposite effect. This news will therefore come as a huge relief to all responsible working dog owners and demonstrates that with enough effort legislation can be influenced.

Lyall and his team's work on shooting was recently acknowledged in the Assembly as the Justice Bill was being debated. Lord Morrow put down amendments in relation to lowering the age at which young people can shoot in NI and also in respect of one-on, one-off transactions. The Northern Ireland Firearms Forum (of which CAI is a member) has been working on these issues for some time and Lord Morrow acknowledged this in the Assembly. Other work on an Irish Red Grouse regeneration initiative in County Antrim and working with the Ulster Angling Federation to promote angling interests give Lyall and his team a full workload in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile in the Republic of Ireland's recent General Election, Fine Gael and the Labour Party emerged victorious as Fianna Fáil and the Green Party paid the ultimate price for the current economic crisis. We can conjecture that the loss may have been in part due to their continued attacks on country sports and the rural way of life, and the new Government, we hope, will be more up-front in offering support for field sports and hunting in particular. Countryside Alliance Ireland is keenly awaiting the new Government making good on its manifesto commitment to repeal the ban on stag hunting.

Many of the issues currently bubbling in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland mirror those we have seen in Westminster in recent years - attempts to ban hunting and tail docking in Northern Ireland, manifesto commitments for repeal in the Republic of Ireland. And all the while, the Countryside Alliance Ireland is working hard in front of and behind the scenes to represent the interests of rural communities.

You can read more about the work of CAI on their website at Countryside Alliance Ireland - Home page

Alice Barnard
Chief Executive

Game Pub Chef of the year
Richard Knighting of the Marlborough Tavern in Bath has been declared Game Chef of the Year at the Great British Pub Food Awards 2011 during a reception held at the Plaisterer's Hall, London.

Richard's dish of Neston Park pheasant served with savoy cabbage in a bacon and Crabbies cream sauce, roast Jerusalem artichokes and chestnuts clinched the title for Richard against competition from Darryn Asher of the Crown Inn, Roecliffe, nr Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire and Debbie Nicholls of The Somerset Arms, Semington, Wiltshire.


Further proof of game's soaring popularity was the fact that the 260 guests at the industry-wide awards enjoyed a game starter of venison carpaccio followed by pan roast breast of partridge.

Richard's dish impressed the judges with his innovation and good use of the pheasant matched with rich, earthy flavours. He said "I'm really excited to have won this award as it is the first competition I have ever entered. Food provenance is integral to our menu offering and our location means we are ideally placed when sourcing food from a number of well known local estates. Game appears regularly on the menu throughout the season and is a winner with our customers."

The Countryside Alliance Foundation's Game-to-Eat campaign has been promoting game for 11 years, and sponsored the Game Chef category for the sixth year running. Pubs are a natural home for game and all these recipes demonstrate that pub chefs are leading the way in food trends and delivering quality, locally sourced, inspirational meals. During the six years that Game-to-Eat has sponsored this category, game has gone from strength to strength in the pub sector and during the season become an established offering on British pub menus.

New Chief Executive for the League
Late last Friday afternoon the League Against Cruel Sports announced the successor to outgoing Chief Executive Douglas Batchelor. Batchelor's successor at the helm of the League (membership: approx 3,000) is Joe Duckworth, until recently the Chief Executive of Newham Council in London. Mr Duckworth's background as a Union man latterly working in local government makes him a left-field choice for an animal charity, and it will be interesting to see how the League reimburses Mr Duckworth for his expertise, given that he was reportedly earning more than the Prime Minister in his short tenure at Newham.

Councils urged to "think rural" in budgets
As spending cuts start to bite across the country, the Countryside Alliance has written to the leaders of all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. Local authorities are currently setting their budgets for the next year and we have urged them to ensure that the unique needs of rural areas will not fall victim when the difficult financial decisions are taken.

Our message to local authorities is clear: engage with local people and respond to what they need. Any significant changes or cuts should be subject to genuine consultation. The Countryside Alliance would like to see a more intelligent approach to service provision. This could include sharing resources with neighbouring authorities and making it possible to access local government services throughout the Post Office network.

Vibrant rural communities with a strong support network are too precious to lose, and the Countryside Alliance campaigns vigorously to promote and defend them. Local authorities are alive to the challenges of isolation and vulnerability that can affect many living in remote rural areas and we would hope that is reflected in the debates taking place in town halls across Britain.

Gundog Crufts victory and a hunt spaniel
Two pieces of good news for fieldsports have hit the media this week:

Firstly, the story of Jet the flatcoated retriever, who won Best in Show at Crufts. Nine year old Jet made this year's final after winning the Best Gundog title on the first day of the competition. Breeder Jim Irving of South Queensferry, Edinburgh, said winning Crufts was the "ultimate prize".

Secondly, the story of Puppy Joe the cocker spaniel. Puppy Joe would probably not have survived being hit by a car and subsequently getting lost in woods near Knightwick, Worcestershire had Worcester Hunt whip Wayne Keble not found him whilst out trail hunting. Wayne told the Worcester News "If it wasn't for us hunting that day he might never have been found. He's someone's pride and joy, and being dog lovers we couldn't leave him - it was the right thing to do." Owner Adele Eades said to the newspaper: "We'd like to say a big thank you to the hunt, of course, and to people who helped us search."

 

[Mr. X]

Alarming news in the Countryside Alliance's newsletter today:

http://www.countryside-alliance.org...ack-is-about-hating-people-not-loving-animals

Last weekend's animal rights attack that left Tedworth Huntsman Mike Lane in hospital has been met with an outpouring of condemnation from all sides of the hunting argument and has been covered widely by the media.

The attack is subject to a Police investigation, but a film has emerged showing part of the attack which ended with Mike Lane on the ground being kicked unconscious.

Reports quote Mike as saying animal rights activists "..followed us from the kennels that morning and during the day they were quite upset and there were a number of confrontations. We were quite upset that they were spraying the hounds with citronella spray and we remonstrated with them. We were packing up just after 4pm and it got quite violent. Five or six of them came across to where we were all parked and started to make a nuisance of themselves. I went over to try to calm it all down and one of them spat in my face. I was then punched by another and a scuffle broke out. I slipped over and on the ground one of them kicked me in the head twice and knocked me out. To be honest, I have no other recollection of what happened after that. They were swinging iron bars on lengths of rope at one stage."

This appalling attack is a stark reminder that these self-proclaimed animal lovers are nothing of the sort. Their motivation is hating people, not loving animals, and operating in face masks and armed with iron bars bears this out.

We are in touch with the Police and appreciate that they are in a difficult position, but they should use their powers to require face coverings to be removed where the law allows as face coverings should have no role in any lawful protest. As Shooting Times observed this week: "Would they be allowed to intimidate shoppers on the High Street in Esher? No. So why's it ok in the countryside?"

We all wish Mike a speedy recovery and end by saying that bully boy tactics, while shocking, will not cow a united and determined hunting community.

More in the newspapers and on the BBC:
Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...clava-wearing-protesters-armed-iron-bars.html

Daily Telegraph (incs. video): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...acked-with-iron-bars-by-masked-saboteurs.html

BBC (inc. video by witness): http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-31031411

Daily Express: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/554793/huntsman-hunt-brutal-attack



Not covered by the Grauniad (Guardian) though