Individuals invited by Deadline 2000 attended a meeting in York to present their views orally to the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs.

Lord Burns outlined the terms of reference of the Inquiry, the approach that he and his Committee had taken and the timetable for the presentation of the report.

The following points were made:

• When hunting with dogs gets out of control it causes distress to members of the public living in the countryside

• The hounds killed a domestic pet on private property.

• Hounds on roads and railways cause disruption and distress.

• Hounds sometimes remain in hunting countries up to four days after the hunt has left.

• A farmer was told by the hunt that he was the only person who would not allow the hunt on their land. The farmer subsequently found that, of his twenty-six immediate neighbours, twenty-two wished the hunt to keep off their land and they were prepared to sign a statement to that effect.

• A fox pursued by the hunt ran into someone’s garden where two small children were playing. It was torn to pieces in front of the children and a number of villagers.

• The hunt is a danger to people and property in confined spaces; it causes inconvenience and frustration when roads are blocked and it inflicts cruelty on animals.

• The hounds were out of control in the village for at least ten minutes before the huntsman appeared.

• The actions of the hunt are arrogant and rude.

• A boy who witnessed a fox killed at a distance of 50 yards is still disturbed by the incident 15 years on.

• Hounds have to be taught to hunt so it is not something that comes naturally. We have spent generations breeding out the pack instinct in animals and yet the hunt trains them to do the things we found unacceptable in the first place.

• RSPCA has never been asked to re-home a foxhound and no elderly foxhounds are seen being walked.

• When hounds reach the age of 5 or 6 they are put to death because they have reached the limits of their usefulness to the hunt.

• Artificial earths are still being constructed in hunting countries and it is regular practice to ensure that there are fox cubs in the earths.

• Recently a new master took over the hunt and brought his huntsman with him. There was no hue and cry that two long serving employees were made redundant

• Tenant farmers are not able to stop the hunt coming on their land because they fear that they would lose their jobs, livelihood and accommodation.

• Not all rural villages are dependent on the hunt financially, as some of the evidence the Inquiry has received would suggest

• At the Waterloo Cup the hounds were given lucozade and oxygen. On some occasions it was over a minute before the dispatcher got to the hare, by which point it was screaming. Some hares are coursed twice during the day.

• Foxes are not killed by a nip to the back of the neck. The fox is grabbed by any part that is visible.

• A domestic cat killed by the hounds was in quite a mess when a wildlife officer saw it. The cat's ribs had been crushed.

• Almost every Sunday morning there are men are out chasing hares. Farmers say that they have shot hares in order to stop people coming onto their land.

• Gangs of men go out with dogs at night in order to kill foxes.

• Individual badger setts have been blocked 8 to 10 times during the course of one hunting season.

• Local badger protection groups have met arrogance and indifference in their dealings with the hunt. They have been unable to establish a two-way relationship.

• Blocking of badger setts inflicts a lot of harm to the social group of badgers

• Small outlying badger setts which have been stopped up have been left by the badgers and not reoccupied again for at least a couple of years

• It is very difficult to catch people badger baiting and to obtain a prosecution. The excuse is always that they were out lamping. The existence of hunting hinders bodies set up to protect badgers.

• Many terrier club members have been convicted of badger digging, some of whom have been area representatives.

• Examples of wanton destruction and illegal blocking of setts include stuffing setts with aerosol cans which are then set alight, and blocking them with boulders, tree stumps and even whole trees.

• Hunting with dogs is a cruel and barbaric sport.

• Investigations into hunting-related incidents need to become easier, with greater cooperation from those involved.

• Killing should never be fun. Hunting with hounds is for the majority of those taking part a leisure pursuit which, like any other sport, is done for pleasure.

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Date uploaded to site 19 May 2000