Concern at stag hunting on Forestry England land

The League's Chief Executive has written to her counterpart at Forestry England after the Mendip Hunt Sabs reported seeing a stag being hunted on FE land - something which the organisation prohibits. Concerns have further been raised after Forestry England staff appeared not to challenge the hunt's presence on its land. 

Read the full text below:

Dear Mike Seddon,

I write on behalf of the League Against Cruel Sports – and the thousands of our members and supporters – to express serious concern about the continued use of Forestry England land for stag hunting.

The chasing of stags with dogs for ‘sport’ is both cruel and illegal. It has long been banned on Forestry England land, a welcome prohibition that rightly reflects your agency’s vision of “providing the most valuable places for wildlife to thrive”. I find it, therefore, deeply troubling that stag hunting appears to be continuing on land you manage on behalf of the public.

On 22 April, members of the Mendip Hunt Saboteurs reported observing the Quantock Staghounds engaged in stag hunting while seemingly trespassing on Forestry England land near Ramscombe. Concerns have been raised that, despite the incident being reported to Forestry England staff, no effective action was taken to stop or address the use of Forestry England land by the hunt at the time.

It is important to emphasise that stag hunting is not only banned under your own policies but is also a criminal offence. Legal exemptions to the Hunting Act 2004, often relied upon by stag hunts to justify their activity, require the permission of the landowner – meaning any such activity on your land is not just a breach of policy, but may constitute illegal hunting.

Stag hunting without Forestry England’s permission should be recognised and treated as unlawful activity, and we believe that this understanding must inform the agency’s response to such incidents. This would include police involvement via 999 while these incidents are ongoing.

I would welcome clarity on the action that was taken during and after the recent incident, and for your restated commitment to strong and proactive action to prevent illegal hunting on the forestry estate.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Slawinski

Chief Executive