Wild animals killed under license on NT properties
National Trust
Please detail, by year since 2010, how many foxes and deer have been killed on National Trust land by hunts licensed to be on the property.
Please also detail, by year since 2010, which hunts have been licensed to hunt on National Trust land.
Please detail, by year since 2010, how many quad bikes have been allowed to drive on Nation Trust land despite being banned from doing so, and the cost of any damage to landscape or SSSIs caused by the terriermen on those quad bikes.
S Rhosier
Hello
Thank you for your recent questions regarding trail 'hunting' on our land. As a charity the National Trust is not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, but we do our best to respond to enquiries in line with our usual arrangements for handling enquiries and communications.
Incidents
The Trust take very seriously any potential breaches in our licensing regime or cases of unlicensed activity on our land and they are considered on a case by case basis dependent on the available facts and evidence. Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on specific allegations against trail hunting groups or the outcomes of any internal investigations, as records held are necessarily confidential.
Anybody who uses our land must comply with the law, regardless of whether they do so under our licence conditions or under rights retained when the property was transferred to the Trust. However, if anyone witnesses anything that they believe to be illegal, we advise them to contact the police directly, in addition to reporting the incident to National Trust staff.
Licensed groups
In 2018, the following groups were licensed to conduct trail hunting on Trust land. This information was published on our website at the time;
1.Herefordshire Golden Valley Hunt
2.Powys, Breconshire Brecon and Talibont Hunt
3.Powys, Breconshire Llanwrthwl Trail Hunt
4.Monmouthshire Monmouthshire Hunt
5.Carmarthenshire Cwrt Y Cadno Farmers Hunt
6.Farnborough The Warwickshire
Warwickshire
7.Attingham Park, The United Pack
South Shropshire
8.South Shropshire South Shropshire Hunt
9.Hanbury Hall The Worcestershire Hunt
Worcestershire
10.Clent Hills The Albrighton Hunt
11.Dudmaston Estate The Albrighton Hunt
Shropshire
12.West Cornwall The Western Hunt
13.Lizard & Penrose Four Burrow Hunt
Cornwall
14.Somerset Coast & Countryside Weston and Banwell Harriers
Crooke Peak, Mendip Hills
15.Somerset Coast & Countryside Exmoor Foxhounds
Holnicote
16.Somerset Coast & Countryside West Somerset Hunt
Beacon and Bicknoller Hills
17.Cotswolds, Sherborne Estate Beaufort Hunt
Gloucestershire
18.SW Dartmoor Dartmoor Hunt
Trowlesworthy, Devon
19.Kingston Lacy Portman Hunt
20.Polesden Lacey Estate The Surrey Union Hunt
Surrey
21.Woolbeding Countryside Chiddingfold, Leconfield and
Estate, South Downs Cowdray Hunt
22.Isle of Wight: Isle of Wight Hunt
Mottistone Estate and
St Catherines Estate
23.Isle of Wight: Isle of Wight Farmers
Mottistone Estate Bloodhounts
24.Buscott and Coleshill Old Berkshire Hunt
25.Buscott and Coleshill Vale of White Horse Hunt
The same approach is being followed for 2019. For further information please visit our website at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/feature...
Vehicles
The Trust does licence trail hunting in some areas and at certain times of the year, where it is compatible with our aims of public access and conservation.
Completed application forms should be accompanied by a number of supporting documents, – such as proof of insurance and written permissions from tenants. These documents are then reviewed along with the potential impacts on our conservation and access objectives in order to determine whether a licence will be issued.
Since 2017, vehicles have not been allowed as part of our licence conditions for trail hunting, except under exceptional circumstances and with prior agreement.
I trust that the enclosed information has provided a useful update of our approach. For further information about the Trusts’ position on trail ‘hunting’ please visit our website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Kind regards
Jess
Thank you for your response.
With reference to the 'Vehicles' section:
'Since 2017, vehicles have not been allowed as part of our licence conditions for trail hunting, except under exceptional circumstances and with prior agreement.'
What would be classed as 'exceptional circumstances'?
S Rhosier
thesecretary
In a separate request, I queried the function of Nick Droy as he was recruited to address the ongoing reported license breaches and that question was ignored just as my question here about his purpose will be.
His role is therefore questionable and secretive, which calls into question your 'aims of public access and conservation'.
I conclude that the term 'aims of public access and conservation' is a deceptive clause fully intended to support and encourage licensed hunts to break the law as well as license terms.
I have proof, via FOI requests, from APHA (Public Health) that there have been zero imports of trail fluid since the Hunting Act became law.
I have recent records of admissions from hunts that they are using fox urine to train hounds against the day when they hope the Hunting Act will be repealed, so that hounds will not require retraining in order to hunt and kill foxes in greater numbers. The ONLY way to obtain fox urine for that purpose and for the non-existent subterfuge they describe as 'trail hunting' is to squeeze it from living foxes illegally kept for the purpose until they are old enough to be 'bagged' (another illegal action) for release on hunting days.
There is now no other conclusion I can draw which would exonerate the National Trust from discreditably abusing Trust powers and Trust properties to support and facilitate lawbreaking hunts in their desire to kill foxes and other wildlife.
You can wrap it up in deceptively-neutral language but you sorely underestimate the public's intelligence - the public, those people for whose benefit the National Trust was apparently created. Your Board abused their positions when they sabotaged the motion to ban hunting from Trust properties to suit their own personal preferences for outmoded wildlife cruelty.
I am grateful that this request will remain permanently public so that the National Trust remain exposed as ardent supporters of wildlife cruelty for 'sport'.
S Rhosier
Hello
Thank you for your email. As no further queries have been raised we have noted your comments.
Kind regards
Jess
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