Protecting the future

The Countryside Alliance remains focused on securing a sustainable future for hunting, writes Polly Portwin. This article first appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of 'My Countryside' magazine.

Ever since hundreds of thousands of supporters descended upon London to join the Liberty & Livelihood March in 2002, the Countryside Alliance has remained synonymous with hunting. The Hunting Act may have come into force over 16 years ago; however, our dedication to the Campaign for Hunting has never waned. Working with our hunting members – including many current masters and hunt staff – alongside the hunting authorities, the Alliance remains focused on securing a long and sustainable future for hunting with hounds.

There has been a longstanding working relationship between hunting's governing bodies – including the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) and the Association of the Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB) – and the Countryside Alliance. This was formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2002 in which the roles of the two organisations were defined and an agreement was made to ensure the roles of each organisation were coordinated effectively.

As part of the work of the Hunting Joint Committee, formed last year of representatives from the MFHA, AMHB and the Alliance, a new MoU was agreed in 2020 which recognises the changes in the way that the organisations work together with the ultimate aim of protecting the infrastructure of hunting.

"This MoU enables a distinction to be drawn between the role of governance and management which is implemented by the Hunting Associations through the Hunting Office, and the wider role of the promotion and defence of hunting which is implemented by the Alliance in the context of other country sports and rural life generally," explained our chief executive, Tim Bonner.

As part of the updated agreement, it was acknowledged that the CA and the Hunting Associations continue to recognise the obligation to ensure that their respective roles work together effectively and cohesively, particularly in the fields of politics, public relations and media management, education activities and the building of public confidence, and the encouragement of conservation, biodiversity and habitat management.

For our members and the supporters of hunting, the MoU reinforces the importance of the critical campaigning work and services provided by the Alliance. We still offer a round-the-clock response to incidents – including media management and the provision of support and guidance for hunts, hunt officials and hunt staff – while continuing to monitor all relevant existing or proposed legislation and responding to such legislation through political lobbying, media management and public campaigning.

There is a degree of crossover between the work of the Hunting Office and the Alliance, particularly with regards to delivering and supporting the defence for prosecutions and developing hunting strategies, with clarification of the roles beneficial all round. The regular communication between the three directors of the Hunting Office – Mark Hankinson, Richard Tyacke and Alice Bowden – and those at the Alliance continues to be vital and the organisations work closely regarding a wide variety of hunting matters.

Almost a year after the announcement was made that Andrew Osborne would be taking over the mantel as chairman of the MFHA from Lord Mancroft following the AGM in May 2021, Andrew is now throwing himself into the role, working closely with the executive committee of the Hunting Office and the Alliance.

In ordinary times, the appointment of a new chairman of the MFHA would have been followed by a period of time spent learning the ropes like any understudy. But as we all know, this has been no ordinary year, so the options for face-to-face meetings at any level have been limited and any hunting activities that took place last season were largely restricted to hunting locally without scope for visiting. Thankfully, Andrew is already a well-known figure, having hunted the Sinnington, Bedale and Cottesmore hounds but he remains eager to get around the country and has hit the ground running in the few weeks since his tenure began on 26th May.

"I am very honoured to be entrusted with this new responsibility," explained Andrew. "These are very challenging times for us all, but I strongly believe there is a hugely positive future for our sport and way of life. I am confident we can secure a sustainable future for hunting and I will do my absolute best to ensure that we can all enjoy and be proud of hunting for many years to come."

Our chairman, Nick Herbert, believes the defence of countryside activities like hunting will rest on three pillars – the science and evidence of their benefit; upholding the highest standards of conduct; and retaining social licence, which means broad public approval for our activities. The three Ss: science, standards and social licence, remain at the very forefront of the minds of us all who are striving to protect the future of hunting with hounds for generations to come.