The Ashford Valley Hunt was founded by farmers in the Weald of Kent in 1873. In its early days a limited number of hounds were kept and those who followed them did so on foot.

Under the influence of the Buckland family - and in particular Harry Buckland, a leading showjumper - horses began to be used and in 1922 the Ashford Valley was recognised by the Masters of Foxhounds Association as a foxhunt. While a number of members follow the hunt on horses and ponies, the majority still go on foot, on bicycles or in motor vehicles.

The majority of farmers and landholders regard foxes as a pest and apply one or more control methods to restrict or reduce their numbers. In the past a wide variety of control methods were available. During the 20th century they have been severely restricted. The use of leghold or gin traps, poison and gas - which were widely used in the past - is now illegal. Fox culling methods which remain legal are hunting with hounds, the use of terriers, shooting with shotguns and rifles, snaring and cage-trapping. There is very little illegal fox control in the Weald of Kent at present. All currently legal fox control methods are opposed. An articulate lobby with much police support opposes the ownership and use of privately owned rifles and shotguns. Snaring, hunting and terrier work are vehemently opposed for humanitarian reasons. Cage traps are favoured by those who generally oppose fox control but there are acute problems associated with using them effectively: to avoid suffering they need to be visited every hour or so; if visited every hour or so foxes are likely to be frightened away from them. No fox control method is completely humane.

The Ashford Valley Hunt's fox control activities take place on between 60 and 70 days each year. Hunting begins early in September and continues until the middle of March. This season (up to 13 February 2000) has seen the hounds out hunting on 50 days. In that time 79 foxes have been accounted for. No hunt resulting in a kill has lasted for longer than 40 minutes - most have been considerably shorter. The longest such hunts to date this season - on 4 December 1999 and 5 February 2000 - lasted just over 9 minutes and just under 40 minutes respectively. There have been no perceived animal welfare issues arising out of any hunt by the Ashford Valley hounds this season. In addition to the foxes caught by the hounds - which tend to be less fit and alert than those which escape - a large number of foxes have been hunted but not caught. This has the beneficial effect of dispersing foxes so that they are not concentrated in a few areas where they would be likely to do more damage but are spread across the district as a whole. On occasions this season, foxes which have been injured by another control method or in collisions with cars or which have been suffering from mange or other illnesses have been caught by the Ashford Valley hounds. From a fox welfare standpoint the activities of the Ashford Valley Hunt have compared adequately with other fox control methods this season. This is usual.

Those farmers and landholders who wish to control foxes on their farms and holdings (at present, a large majority) are free to choose from any one of the five legal methods. In the Ashford Valley's part of the Weald of Kent a significant number - a majority by acreage - chose hunting either as their exclusive fox control option or as one of several methods of fox control deployed. Since the farming crisis began to bite in 1997 farmers have fewer resources to deploy - both in time and in money. Unless a farmer wishes to support the hunt in cash or in kind or to follow the hounds on hunting days, fox control by the Ashford Valley Hunt is free of any expense to him. There is a long tradition of hunting in the Weald of Kent amongst the farming community and many farmers and landholders are active supporters of the hunt. The Ashford Valley Hunt has 180 members of whom 60 are farmers. Other farmers and landholders just like to see the hounds and the hunt staff and followers - many of whom are relatives, friends or neighbours - on their land. Great efforts are made by the Ashford Valley Hunt to avoid farms and holdings where the owner has decreed that there should be no fox control - there are currently about 12 such locations known to the hunt - or where the owner prefers not to have hunting as a fox control option. On rare occasions these efforts fail and in this event an immediate apology is tendered together with an offer of amends if appropriate . There have been two such incursions this season and only two last season - neither of which resulted in a claim. The Ashford Valley Hunt tries to conduct its activities without causing damage of any sort. It maintains public liability insurance cover of £5 million with employers liability cover of £10m. The last claim on the policy was on 26 March 1998. There has been one claim on the policy so far this season - for a collision on 9 February 2000 between a stray hound and a car. It has been swiftly and amicably settled - without prejudice to liability. If a fence or gate is broken, the Ashford Valley Hunt's rule is that the person who broke it must either mend it there and then or immediately after hunting has finished or on the next working day, as appropriate. The rule is that the repair must leave the fence or gate as good as or better than it was before it was broken. If sheep, cattle or other livestock stray the Ashford Valley Hunt's rule is that hunting should be suspended or terminated as appropriate to enable the hunt staff and the hunt followers to retrieve them. There have been two such occurrences so far this season. Neither gave rise to any livestock welfare issue. In addition the Ashford Valley Hunt does a considerable amount of conservation work - at no charge to farmers or landholders. A farm or holding is entered by the Ashford Valley Hunt in the annual Kent Inter Hunt Conservation Competition. Last season the Ashford Valley Hunt's entry - Kingsden Farm, Egerton - was third. The Ashford Valley Hunt runs an annual hedge laying competition - the only such competition in Kent - which attracts competitors from across the South of England. This not only produces a durable stock proof fence for the chosen farmer at no charge to him; it also helps to bring hedgelaying skills to farmers, landholders and others in the countryside who wish to acquire them and to promote hedgelaying as a fencing method to farmers and landholders. This year the competition took place at Cannon Farm, Marden on Sunday 16 January 2000. Twenty four professional or semi-professional competitors took part and 300-400 spectators attended. Two orders from farmers and landholders for laid hedges have been received so far. For the first time the Ashford Valley Hunt hopes to run a formal training day for novice and aspiring hedge layers. It is intended that this should take place on a Sunday in March 2000 - also at Cannon Farm. Finally, the Ashford Valley Hunt provides a free fallen stock service to farmers and landholders over whose land it operates. In the Weald of Kent on-farm burial of fallen livestock is difficult - because of the risk of pollution. Very few farmers have their own incinerators. During 1999 the Ashford Valley Hunt received a total of 1,859 farm livestock carcases and spent £39,644 on its fallen stock collection service. Hunt staff and hunt supporters spent over 2,892 man hours on this distressing, difficult and sometimes dangerous task during 1999 - at no charge to farmers or landholders and at no expense to the public. At present there is no alternative service - apart from one of the seven other Kent hunts - available to farmers in the Weald of Kent.

Apart from the utilitarian benefits which are described above the Ashford Valley Hunt makes a considerable contribution to the recreational and social life of the Weald of Kent. Local people - by no means all of whom are farmers and landholders - follow the hunt on horses and ponies, on foot and on bicycles and in motor vehicles up to two days each week from September to March. A number of people - especially children have taken to riding through the Ashford Valley Hunt and its Pony Club and several have gone on to compete in equestrian events nationally and internationally. The Ashford Valley Hunt also organises a hedgelaying competition, several darts matches, a dance, a point to point steeplechase race meeting (and helps to run two others), several parties, a terrier and lurcher show, a cricket match and a clay pigeon shoot as well as its annual puppy show. A number of the twice weekly meets from September to March are lawn meets - that is to say a party which takes place at the invitation of a farmer or landholder and which is attended by his or her friends as well as regular or at least usual hunt followers. Most of the Ashford Valley Hunt's other meets take place at public houses. Although a number of licensees are themselves supporters of the hunt, others - especially in the more remote areas - just welcome the extra business that an Ashford Valley Hunt meet generates at a time, l1.00am, when little or no trade would otherwise be forthcoming. No-one would support hunting - either as a participant or on their land or premises - if they believed it to be cruel or unnecessary.

The Ashford Valley Hunt itself directly employs four people (one full time; three part time) and generates employment for four other people. Hunt followers who keep horses wholly or largely for hunting generate employment for the full time equivalent of twenty-two other people (estimated figure). While the jobs of these people could not in themselves justify the retention of an otherwise unjustifiable activity the lives and livelihoods of those people are a factor to be borne in mind when assessing whether the activities of the Ashford Valley Hunt should be criminalised or left to take their own well established course. If the activity is wholly or largely justifiable, the removal of these peoples' livelihoods would be an iniquity.

In common with other hunts in the South of England the Ashford Valley Hunt is targeted by hunt saboteurs. Although a large number of hunt saboteurs have been arrested and charged with criminal offences since intensive sabotage began in 1995 not one Ashford Valley Hunt member has been arrested and charged during that period. The Ashford Valley Hunt co-operates closely with Kent Police to enable its activities to proceed - often in the face of saboteur violence or threats of violence. By way of example on 4 December 1999 a large gang of saboteurs attacked Ashford Valley Hunt hounds, horses and hunt staff. When a farmer intervened to protect one of the hunt staff and his horse who were being attacked on the farmer's land he was savagely beaten. During this attack the saboteurs also kicked and injured a horse amongst other unprovoked outrages. The masked and hooded perpetrators then left the scene before Kent Police could get there. As a result of this and similar experiences Kent Police take the threat posed by hunt saboteurs very seriously indeed. A considerable amount of money is spent on policing the issue. While it would not be possible - or proper - for the Ashford Valley Hunt to pay the cost of policing beyond the contributions made through Council Tax payments by hunt members the hunt does what it can both by liaising closely with Kent Police and, wherever possible, acting in accordance with police advice. Where possible - and proper - the Ashford Valley Hunt does make a financial contribution too. After the 1999 Boxing Day meet the Ashford Valley Hunt reimbursed the police for the cost of the crowd control barriers hired by Kent Police to separate those who watched the traditional spectacle on foot from the hunt followers' horses and ponies - some of which were unused to large numbers of pedestrians in close proximity to them. In a land ruled by the law right thinking people should hesitate to support a campaign driven - to a substantial extent - by violence or threats of violence. To criminalise an activity - such as foxhunting - in response to a campaign which itself is largely criminal sets a precedent which threatens all law abiding citizens whether they love foxhunting or loathe it.

The ostensibly respectable anti-hunting organisations would have the world believe that the overwhelming majority disapprove of foxhunting. They support this theory with opinion research which, to a substantial extent, they have themselves commissioned and paid for. The anti-hunting organisations have very few members, however. The leading anti-hunting organisation has less than a handful per parliamentary constituency across the United Kingdom. The Ashford Valley Hunt operates in parts only of just four parliamentary constituencies. It has one hundred and eighty members almost all of whom live in the Maidstone and Weald or Ashford or Tunbridge Wells or Faversham and mid Kent constituencies. Its hunt supporters club has one hundred and forty two members. The members of the Ashford Valley Hunt and its supporters club therefore outnumber the members of the leading anti-hunting organisation in question by more than ten to one. When there was last a parliamentary threat against foxhunting the Countryside Alliance organised a protest march in London - on Sunday 1 March 1998. 300,000 people attended it. Reports at the time indicated that it was the largest single demonstration that had ever taken place in this country. A few weeks later the anti-hunting organisations organised their own protest march - in the hope of getting government support for their own anti-hunting bill - it attracted just 3000 participants. Sensibly the government declined to support the bill and foxhunting has remained a lawful and legal activity as a result. On 27 December 1999 just over 250 hunts met up and down the United Kingdom to celebrate Boxing Day. Press reports indicated that about 300,000 supporters went to those hunt meets. The Boxing Day hunt meets have become something of a tradition for the opponents of hunting too. Press reports indicated that the anti-hunting organisations were only able to field 3000 protesters in opposition to hunting. 100 to 1 against a ban on hunting does not seem to be a very potent argument for a ban.

This submission has been approved by the chairman and the committee of the Ashford Valley Hunt. It sets out the case for the hunt as a whole, although officers and members may well wish to make submissions of their own.

14 February 2000

Matthew Knight is a joint master of the Ashford Valley Hunt

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Date uploaded to site 3 June 2000