HRA
New Hunting Regulatory Authority (HRA)
Brain Fanshawe who is
coordinating HRA
A new authority to oversee and discipline the conduct of hunts is close to approval and final draft after consultations with Britain’s hunting associations.
Brian Fanshawe, who is co-ordinating development of the HRA for the Master of Foxhounds Association (MFHA), said: “We have spoken to several politicions, and they have told us this is just what is needed.”
Outlines of the HRA were heard by the Repeal Committee’s recent meeting in the House of Commons attended by politicians including Baroness Mallalieu and Viscount Astor, who talked of the necessity of a robust self regulatory authority when the Repeal reaches the House of Lords.
They said while the vast majority of peers opposed the Hunting Act 04, they were also supportive of an alternative statutory licensing proposals, and stressed the proposed HRA would be an important issue when steering a Repeal through the House of Lords.
The committee also discussed plans for a series of meetings in the autumn in all parts of the country to further explain the plans for repeal and encourage people to engage in the campaign.
Brain Fanshawe explained: “The idea is that we have a regulative authority which will oversee all hunting with dogs: foxhounds, harriers, mink hounds, terriers, coursing, etc. The MFHA, the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB) and all other hunting bodies will have to sign up to agree to abide by the decisions of the HRA.”
Hunt terrier work will also be governed
The HRA will have a constitution, with a complaints and a disciplinary procedure. There will be every opportunity for any matter to be dealt with at hunt level, but if that is not successful the matter goes to the MFHA level, and if that fails then matters will be past to the HRA - an independent authority.
Failure to comply could mean the hunt’s masters would be booted out of the MFHA
The HRA will be able to find people not guilty, can give them a severe reprimand, there will be a system of fines where appropriate; the HRA will have the ability to suspend the hunt a month or even a year.
Failure to comply with a suspension would mean the hunt’s masters would be booted out of the MFHA; the hunt then could not hold a point to point, could not use registered stallion hounds, could not register their own hounds, they would not have immediate facilities for insurance - the list goes on. The HRA will not come into effect until after a repeal.
“I suspect there are far more Labour politicians than we are aware of who are fed up with the subject and don’t want it back for another debate, and a Hunting Regulatory Authority would add credence to a repeal."
Brian Fanshawe, Hunting Office