Act today to support a trail hunting ban on Cheshire council land

Councillors at Cheshire West and Chester Council recently voted to pause ‘trail’ hunting on its land – a move welcomed by the League Against Cruel Sports. Now the council is considering making this ban permanent, but it urgently needs to hear your views.

You can help to stop hunting by sharing your views and experiences of trail hunting, and the risks it poses to animals and the environment. Please contact Cheshire West and Chester Council today in support of a ban on trail hunting on council-controlled land. 

Banning trail hunting on council land would be a huge step to protect animals and the environment. But it can only happen if you make your voice heard in support of a ban, by sharing your views with the council today.

Please submit your views by email to RegulatoryServices@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk by 16 October 2021. This will allow your views to be taken into account when the council considers whether to ban trail hunting permanently.

Full details of the consultation can be found on the council's website along with the council’s report on the evidence so far.

To make your email as effective as possible, it is recommended that you focus on the risks ‘trail’ hunting poses to wildlife, domestic animals and the environment. Please remain polite, give any personal experience where you can and remember to support the council’s proposal to ban trail hunting on its land. A short personal email showing your support could make all the difference.

You might wish to make some of the following points in your own words:

• You support banning trail hunting on land owned and controlled by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

• Trail hunting poses a risk to wild and domestic animals and the wider environment. Trail hunts can injure and kill wild and domestic animals, damage sensitive habitats, disturb protected and endangered species, and pose a disease risk to people and animals.

• The current law does not prevent this harm to animals, and most hunts now claim to be trail hunting.

• Leaked Hunting Office webinars published in 2020 allegedly discussed trail hunting being used as a ‘smokescreen’ for hunting wild animals with dogs.

• The League Against Cruel Sports collated at least 21 reports of suspected illegal hunting activity within the Cheshire West and Chester local authority area in the 2019/20 hunting season, despite it being shortened by lockdown. This included reports of foxes being chased or killed, hounds being killed on the road, an attack by hounds on a domestic dog, trespassing by a hunt onto private land and worrying sheep.

• Nationally, the League collated 677 reports of suspected illegal fox hunting and cub hunting activity across England and Wales in the 2019/20 fox hunting season.

• Hounds are frequently reported to have trespassed through farms and private gardens, disturbing and killing livestock or pets. During the 2019/20 season the League received 110 such reports from across England and Wales.

• A comprehensive report by Professor Stephen Harris and Dr Jo Dorning published in 2017 concluded that “all aspects of hunting with hounds pose a significant risk of disease transmission to both livestock and humans”.

• A separate 2017 report published by the League details risks from hunts including disturbance to habitats, animals and the environment through physical damage, interference with animal shelters and natural activities, and the spreading of contaminated faeces.

Together, we can stop hunting and protect animals and the environment. Thank you for your support.