The Conservative Party want to legalise fox hunting and blood sports, a law even their traditional supporters are opposed to - join them by not voting conservative!
We would like to see the ban on fox hunting continue. We have a farm of around 160 acres. We enjoy wildlife and one of us is a very keen bird watcher. In the forty plus years we have owned land we have experienced no problems with foxes, either here in Mid Wales where we have lived for more than twenty years, or in Gloucester where we lived previously. Fox numbers on our land have never got out of control and we have never needed to control this species in any way. However, we have, over the years, frequently had hunters, hounds and shooters on our land. They have entered without consent, causing problems, risk and disruption for us, and our livestock. This has often resulted in us calling out the police to deal with the unauthorized, and usually armed, trespass. We want to feel safe on our land. The hunters usually carry guns - we should not have to tolerate armed trespass. We do not want the foxes killed on our land. We feel they are part of the balance of nature, helping to keep the rodents under control. They are also a pleasure to watch, although we rarely see them and then usually singly - contrary to what some claim. We occasionally see cubs with an adult. This is a delightful scene we are privileged to witness. Over the last few years we have planted several areas with trees so we particularly welcome foxes as they help control the small rodents which will destroy saplings by eating through the base. We currently use mulch mats and these provide an ideal habitat for small rodents so the fox is invaluable. Recently we had a so-called legal hunt on foot (they had apparently informed the police beforehand) - some 60, mainly men, spread around the area. 6 men with hounds were hunting and shooting on our land without permission. We were alerted to them by two of our workers who were logging in our woodland at the time and they were concerned as one of the men started shooting into the woods close to them. We had to call the police. We tell these people not to enter our land (or the land of most of our neighbours, who are also very against hunting) yet we are ignored as most years we experience problems. We were delighted when hunting was banned as we have had to get the police out several times over the years. Hunts waste police time, cause problems for landowners who are happy to have foxes on their land. We also believe they can help spread disease. In the latest incident one of the men, a dairy farmer who had brought along the hounds, said he had a bTB breakdown with confirmed lesions in some of his cattle on post mortem. All mammals can get TB so is it sensible to bring hounds from a farm where the herd is suffering a TB breakdown to run amok all over other farmland where there are cattle? Surely this is a serious breach of biosecurity? We hope that Conservatives Against Fox Hunting will be able to persuade the Conservative party to keep the ban and to enforce it. https://www.facebook.com/bluefoxCAFH/photos/a.239298755980.149783.239237090980/10152664545160981/?type=1&theater |
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