Call for evidence about trail hunting
The Council has decided to pause trail hunting on Council owned or controlled land and is asking anyone with comments relating to the impact of the activity to get in touch.
Council owned and controlled land for these purposes includes both freehold and leasehold land and does not include the public highway or tenant farms whereby the land and property is let by the Council to the tenant under the terms of a tenancy agreement for agricultural business, like farming.
Why is this happening?
At the December 2020 meeting of the Council, councillors voted for a motion for the Council's Cabinet to develop a policy on trail hunting which takes into account the threat posed by hunts to animals and the environment.
A cross-party working group was established to better understand the activity of trail hunting, to review the local evidence and the legal framework surrounding trail hunt activities.
The objective of the group is to develop a policy for consideration by Cabinet in relation to trail hunting on Council owned land that considers the threat to the environment, wildlife, flora and fauna that maybe caused by hunts, hounds, followers and objectors.
At a Cabinet Meeting on 15 September, it was decided to 'pause' trail hunting on all Council owned or controlled land until a full report with a recommended policy is presented to Cabinet later in the year.