A hunt expert today hit out at new laws which mean hounds used in hunts in Shrewsbury will have to be kept on leads when they are on public roads. He claimed they would be difficult to enforce.
Brian Fanshawe, a consultant for the Council of Hunting Associations, said he was surprised the new dog control orders had been implemented. Last week it emerged that hounds were not exempt from the orders.
These were rubber-stamped by Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council in December after councillors back-tracked on a bylaw which would have seen dogs kept on leads in Shrewsbury’s Quarry park.
Regarding how the orders affect hounds in the council catchment area, Councillor Judith Williams said at a meeting last week: “They should be kept on a lead on all public roads, carriageways, adjoining pavements and verges managed by a highway authority, local authority or a housing association.”
Mr Fanshawe is working as a consultant for the CHA, which is looking into the legalities of the orders on behalf of the North Shropshire Hunt, which starts its traditional Boxing Day hunt from Shrewsbury livestock market.
He said: “We’re still looking at it with our legal department. I can’t believe that on every public highway, public road and footpath people have got to have their dogs on a lead.
“It appears it’s something to create alarm. The police are going to have quite a game enforcing it.
“People who think they don’t like hunting with hounds make legislation and find it affects every individual with dogs, rather like the Hunting Act.”
Councillor Danny Moore had raised the issue over concerns that hunting dogs would roam free while crossing public areas to get to the livestock market on hunt days.
He tabled a motion to last week’s council meeting asking how the new bylaws applied to hunts, using the specific example of hounds meeting at Shrewsbury livestock market for Boxing Day hunts.
The North Shropshire Hunt today said it could not comment on the issue until the legalities of the orders had been determined.
10 Comments
Bring back hunting for goodness sake - let the rural community do what the rural community do and let the urbanites do what they do !!!
SO MUCH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS - ever feel you are drowning in it ?
In response to Ian Payne, the hunting ban is nothing to do with “Political Correctness”, it is about putting a stop to a small minority of sick individuals who get pleasure from causing pain and suffering to animals. This is 2008, not the dark ages!
Oh dear the hunting mob (all two of them and their apologists) are whining again.
If you can’t control them don’t let them on public roads. I must admit to having a laugh about the scene of all these idiots in red running around with hounds on the end of leads.
You’re not running the country now.
Well, there’s some news for you! A hunter thinks that hunts should not be restricted.
Oh and Ian, get a grip. Most of the “antis” in Shropshire live in the countryside. Urbanites oppose hunting for a variety of reasons. However, rural “antis” normally oppose hunting becau1se they’ve observed it in full flow and are sick and tired of having to watch cruelty unfold, have their gardens wrecked, pets killed and roads blocked. I’ve seen Shropshire rural residents reduced to crying, quivering nervous wrecks simply because hunts are meeting within a few miles of their house.
It always astounds me that hunters are so keen to turn a debate about cruelty and arrogance into an us and them class debate. The rich, poor, urban, rural, aware, ignorant and cruel hunt. The rich, poor, urban, rural, aware, ignorant and compassionate oppose.
Last year while driving up the Ellesmere Road we had to perform an emergancy stop this is because the Shropshire Hunt Dogs were running up and down the road, over the Childrens playing fields, chasing any cat in sight and nearly causing many accidents. Myself and my family got out of the car to stop the traffic in both directions so the dogs did not get killed. About 10 minutes later the riders on horse turn up to gather the dogs together. The main rider was that Otis Ferry who could not even be bothered to say thankyou for our help. If they are going to hunt they need to keep a leash when near the road or housing estates.
Excellent some sense, number one I thought that hunting with dogs was banned? So when there are patrols checking whether there are dogs on leads or not I hope they arrest the idiots who run and take part in the hunt anyway! I would be extremely unhappy if a pack of dogs was chasing my pet or one of my children.
These arrogant people do not give a damn about the safety of the general public or their own dogs.
What a Bunch of idiots.
Ian, Just a point that not all real rural people support hunting with dogs. It is can be disruptive to livestock damage planting & hedges. Most of the hunting fraternity are urbanites who live in the country and ride. (They then assume that they are real country folk and the workers are just oiks who know nothing about the countryside). For info I was born in the country and lived there for the first 18ish years. A number of Farm owners in the area controlled the access of the hunts on there land (Only Hunt Master and dog controller allowed if quarry followed onto land.
oh dear here we go again dramatics from the antis emergency stop behave yourself .
people take issue with the horses and red coats whats there problem ????? no fox hunt takes place as it did prior to the ban fox flushed and popped the problem is i think the anti does not want the fox to die at all, but the fox are classed as vermin end of argument.
As for the dogs on a lead how many roads have I a travelled on country lanes where the owner has there dog of a lead etc its just a bunch of whingers bored now hunting has finished what do they have to do if the hunt act with in the law??? follow just incase they do not that is there sport.why not deal where real cruelty exists intensive farming , vivisection, live animal transport accross europe and the world , hallal meat ,.
as for the class issue it is sad that people get so het up over a red coat the same moan about obe,mbe recipiants , the rotarty club, mens clubs, and know doubt the wi.your all bonkers and probably vauxhall car drivers who go on package holls or camping.
Oh Finchy, how good of you to think about the animals suffering from intensive farming. I’m sure you’ve cut down your meat consumption to avoid anything other than locally produced meat, which would effectively make you vegetarian.
I’m somewhat shocked that you end the argument after vermin classification. What do you say about bagged foxes and artificial earths? Don’t give me that “they don’t exist” line either, they clearly do (well, did prior to the ban) and some hunts have admitted it.