UK gardening - Hunting ban sparks a rural boom

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Hunting ban sparks a rural boom

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2008-02-25, 1:25 pm

http://tinyurl.com/2kk8ps

Hunting ban sparks a rural boom

Three years on from the Hunting Act, the traditional trades that many
believed would die out are thriving
Mark Townsend The Observer, Sunday February 24 2008 Article history ·

This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday February 24 2008 on
p26 of the News section. It was last updated at 00:06 on February 24
2008.

Rural businesses have reported a remarkable increase in trade, some by
up to 40 per cent, since the introduction of the hunting ban three
years ago. Far from sounding the death knell for the countryside
economy, the Hunting Act has galvanised trades such as farriers and
saddlers. Some hunting stockists have had their best sales in 50
years.

Experts say an increased sense of solidarity among the rural community
and the popularity of drag hunting, which does not involve chasing
foxes, is responsible. Kate Rust, owner of Showing Time, a rural
tailor in the Kent village of Bethersden - where the ITV series The
Darling Buds Of May was filmed - said it had introduced hunting
clothing after the ban due to demand. Sales at the family-run business
subsequently rose by more than 40 per cent.

'We were asked to stock hunting clothing after the ban. We were doing
jackets for showing and eventing and because we were talking to a lot
of people in the hunting community they were asking for hunting
clothes,' she said.

Ian Compton of Calcutt and Sons, one of England's largest outlets for
hunting attire, said that after 50 years of being in the business, it
had never sold more hunting equipment. Trade, Compton said, had
increased by up to 15 per cent since the Hunting Act was signed into
law. Sales of breeches alone at its outlet near Winchester, Hampshire,
had reached more than 300 pairs. 'We are selling more hunting stuff
than ever and more people are out in the fields. A lot of people
thought that the ban would be our death knell, but we have had a lot
more interest, certainly in the clothing side.

'There is a small percentage of people who perhaps did not hunt who
have become interested because they want to beat the politics behind
the ban. There is also the possibility that the ban has raised
people's curiosity and drag hunting appeals to them more.'

Frank Edwards, who owns Acorn Saddlery in South Molton, north Devon,
agreed that fears that the ban would severely damage the north Devon
economy had proved unfounded. 'We dreaded the ban and expected the
worst, but ironically things have turned out very well. Demand for our
goods is high and many people are carrying on hunting within the law.'
Before the ban his firm held nine accounts with local hunts and not
one of them had been forced to close.

'We are very optimistic about the future,' added Edwards.

Tim Bonner, spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, said many people
who forecast that the rural economy would suffer had underestimated
its resilience. 'The success of post-ban hunting has surprised a lot
of people, but it was not entirely unexpected. Anyone who thought that
people were simply going to give up hunting and take up golf got it
very wrong,' he said.

Bonner added: 'The hunting community is enormously resilient, and some
might also say bloody stubborn. We are determined to keep the
infrastructure of hunting together until the Hunting Act is scrapped.'

Last week David Cameron waded into the debate by promising that a Tory
government would give MPs a free vote on reversing the ban. The Tory
leader said the current law had been made to look 'idiotic' because of
the number of people breaking it.

More than 300,000 people turned out at 314 UK hunts on Boxing Day last
year while just three hunts have been convicted of an offence since
the ban was introduced.

The Countryside Alliance is now planning to take the issue to the
European Court of Human Rights.

The 2004 Act made hunting with dogs a criminal offence, although
exercising hounds, chasing a scent trail and flushing out foxes to be
shot are all still legal.

'There is constant difficulty for huntsmen trying to work within a
confusing law, but they have been able to do a lot more than they
feared,' Bonner said.

robertharvey@my-deja.com

2008-02-26, 5:25 pm

On 25 Feb, 15:58, "( _ /)" <00...@derty.com> wrote:
> Last week David Cameron waded into the debate by promising that a Tory
> government would give MPs a free vote on reversing the ban. The Tory
> leader said the current law had been made to look 'idiotic' because of
> the number of people breaking it.

By that logic fines for speeding & arrests for burglary shuld soon be
a thing of the past

Peter Duncanson

2008-02-26, 8:25 pm

On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:20:13 -0800 (PST),
robertharvey@my-deja.com wrote:

>On 25 Feb, 15:58, "( _ /)" <00...@derty.com> wrote:
>
>By that logic fines for speeding & arrests for burglary shuld soon be
>a thing of the past

Tally Ho!

{I'm not a hunting man myself.}

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in uk.business.agriculture)

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