Countryside Alliance 2013 Winter Magazine

C A M P A I G N S
COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE
C O M M E N T C U L T U R E
WINTER 2013 3.50 (when sold)
C O M M U N I T Y
countryside-alliance.org.uk
Wildfowling Magic and mystery in the wetlands
ALLIANCE VICTORIES
HUNT CLASS
Naval links with rural traditions
NEWS EVENTS PHOTO GALLERIES RECIPES
Campaign success in 2013
Cheers! Toast Gower Brewerys Rural Oscars win
PLUS
Tis the
{WINTER WONDERS} The magazine of
SEASON...
THE BEST OF CONSERVATION, FIELDSPORTS AND FARMING
Contents
WINTER 2013
TRY A RABBIT RAGU RECIPE Page 39
PLUS
EDITORS LETTER
elcome to an issue packed with good cheer. This winter we celebrate the historical links between the Royal Navy and hunts (page 12), Tim Bonners deep love of wildfowling (page 18), the history of coursing (page 33), conservation and shooting on Northumberlands Whitfield Estate (page 16), Nick Sothertons appreciation of the grey partridge (page 37), award-winning Welsh beer (page 23), a love of farming by Emily, our Young Countryside Alliance correspondent (page 41), and Charlie Jacobys countryside on page 50. We also give ourselves a slap on the back, taking you through our own campaigning year (page 34) and looking back on all we have achieved. There are frustrations, of course, and 2014 will see us continue to tackle threats to our sports, especially in the political and media arenas. We will keep on addressing the unhelpful attitudes from some quarters of the
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IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS AND CAMPAIGNS 04 News
Reactions to the RSPCAs militant stance; Scottish air weapons licensing; promoting hunting; BBC bias, and more
29 Conservation
A shocking Dutch case that demonstrates what happens without wildlife management
33 Coursing
Reflections on an ancient pastime
FEATURES 12 Hunting and the Navy

Charlotte Cooper explores the intriguing links between hunting and HMS Ledbury
34 A year in campaigns
Working hard on your behalf in 2013
37 In praise of the grey partridge

This wonderful bird has real family values, writes Professor Nick Sotherton
16 Conservation
Why Whitfield Estate is a model example of how shooting conserves the countryside
GET INVOLVED 39 Recipe of the quarter

Wild rabbit ragu with penne
Next year will see us continue to tackle threats to our sports

BBC (page 11), striving to see your world represented as you know and love it. We will also be going hell for leather on the twin issues of broadband and mobile phone signal. Which reminds me, if you do have decent broadband, keep an eye on our Facebook page on Boxing Day well keep you updated on meet photos from across the country. And if that doesnt bring good cheer then nothing will. Merry Christmas to you all.
18 Wildfowling
Tim Bonner recalls the simple pleasures of a day spent shooting below the sea wall
41 Young Countryside Alliance

Emily Churchill, aged 13, on why she loves helping her Grandad on his farm
20 Farmers Hunt
Following the Grove & Rufford Hunt
43 Feedback
Letters and quotes of note
23 Rural Oscars
Gower Brewerys award-winning ales
45 Photo galleries
Wine auction and fishing fundraiser
24 Relaxing the Hunting Act?

David Thomas wants the Act amended to allow hill farmers to protect their stock
49 Events
Find a winter event near you
26 Hunting
An anthropologists view of the tradition
50 My Countryside
Charlie Jacoby of the Fieldsports Channel
Membership hotline 020 7840 9300 Chairman Kate Hoey MP Editor Jill Grieve Chief Sub Editor Marianne Smedley Creative Director James Houston Publisher James Pembroke 24-hour legal hotline 0871 919 3505 Insurance hotline 0871 919 9172 Campaigns 020 7840 9250 Events and fundraising 020 7840 9298 PR and media 020 7840 9220
Regions Find your local representative on page 49 or visit countrysidealliance.org.uk Countryside Alliance Ireland info@countrysidealliance ireland.org 02892 639911 Scottish Countryside Alliance info@scottishcountryside alliance.org 0131 335 0200
By post Countryside Alliance, The Old Town Hall, 367 Kennington Road, London SE11 4PT Fax 020 7793 8484 Website countryside-alliance. org.uk Email info@countrysidealliance.org
Advertising Remy Schiele, Advertising Manager 020 7079 9366 remys@jppublishing.co.uk Countryside Alliance magazine is published four times a year on behalf of the Countryside Alliance by James Pembroke Publishing, 90 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BG. Tel: 01225 337777
Jill Grieve
www.countryside-alliance.org.uk
WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE
M O R E N E W S Sign up for our regular Grass e-route newsletter: www.countryside-alliance.org/ca/grass-e-route
News
Round-up of the stories that matter to you
Welcome from our Executive Chairman

We at the Countryside Alliance have enjoyed a busy and rewarding autumn. Both Hunting Newcomers Week and Shot for the Pot enjoyed strong support while the Countryside Alliance Awards attracted thousands of nominations from those keen to celebrate rural communities, produceand businesses in every corner of our islands. Our quest to inform, include and enthuse the general public about the countryside and all that goes on there continues with great energy. A reshuffle has brought new facesto Defra and we are in close touch with Environment SecretaryOwen Paterson and his team. There is plenty to talk about, including the possible changes to theHunting Act (page 24). We attended the Party Conferences andenjoyed cross-party support forour phone signal report (page34). We also continue to liaiseat European, national and devolved level on the many issues facing shooting. Our work with the devolved assemblies has kept our teams busy: in Wales we have been working with the Angling Trust to protect anglers rights of access (page 7). Meanwhile, in Scotland airgun licensing plans have seen us make strong representations in your name(overleaf). As we leave 2013 behind we can feel optimistic about next year (weather dependent!). I wish you a sporting Christmas and New Year. Barney White-Spunner, Executive Chairman
This unfortunate photograph was part of a bad year in the media for the RSPCA
cHARITIES
The RSPCAs bad year

Supporters lose faith in animal charitys increasingly militant stance after a series of public criticisms
riticisms of the RSPCAs increasingly political stance have peaked in the press this year, with even the charitys own board concerned the negative publicity is jeopardising support. The charity was the subject of investigations by the Charity Commission after comments made by Chief Executive Gavin Grant, on Newsnight seemed to condone direct action against farmers taking part in the badger cull. Then Radio 4s Face the Facts programme also asked whether the charity had become a bully.
The Archbishop of Canterbury declined to become an RSPCA vice patron

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These incidents and Freedom of Information Act requests by the Countryside Alliance, which exposed how the RSPCA has privileged access to criminal records, caused a rash of stories in the press. The adverse press does seem to haverebounded on the RSPCA. First,theArchbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, declined to become a vicepatron and then, in a leaked document, the RSPCAs own deputy chairman, Paul Draycott, revealed an estimated 3million budget deficit this year and questioned the charitysstrategy. The Charity Commission is again reviewing the RSPCAs use of donors cash and role as a private prosecutor. Wepredict many more column inches on this subject.
Partridge family We celebrate the laudable qualities of the grey partridge on page 37
SHO OT I NG
Labour attacks gun licensing

IN OCTOBER the Labour opposition made a statement saying that shotgun certificate holders should have to prove their suitability to own a firearm in future Outlining Labour amendments to the AntiSocial Behaviour Crime and Policing Bill, Shadow Crime and Security Minister Diana Johnson said her party wishes to strengthen firearms licensing, with an increased fee for licences and to shift the onus to the applicant to prove their suitability. The Countryside Alliance and its supporters well know that firearms licence holders understand gun ownership in the UK is a responsibility, not a right. We generally accept the justification for some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. A review of police guidance to strengthen the test of fitness to possess
The Quarter
OUR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST THREE MONTHS
SEPTEMBER Party Conference season got underway with key Parliamentarians speaking at Alliance fringe meetings about mobile phone signal. Labour MP Chi Unwurah is pictured on our stand. Fishing 4 Schools had a great month, with a successful fundraiser (page 47) and a story in the Telegraph, describing the importance of getting youngsters out of the classroom and onto our waterways. The winner of our Reader Survey hamper was announced as Janie Blake from Gloucestershire. OCTOBER A reshuffle saw George Eustice MP (pictured) and Dan Rogerson MP appointed as Defra Ministers. Our Game-to-Eat campaign encouraged thousands to take part in Shot for the Pot Week and serve up British game. Hunting Newcomers Week also took place with hunts across the country holding special events to enable newcomers to experience hunting first hand. CA Race Days took place at Ffos Las and Wincanton. NOVEMBER The hunting season got underway just as the Countryside Alliance Awards closed to nominations. Barney White-Spunner presented the annual Purdey Awards in London. Cheltenham Countryside Race Day took place on 15 November, raising vital funds. Other events of the month were our Wetherby and Towcester Countryside Race Days and the Heythrop Hunt & Countryside Alliance Christmas Fair at Batsford Park, Gloucestershire.
Photo: The Portman by Jo Gardner
firearms, is being undertaken by the Home Office and ACPO, with the full support of the shooting associations. These new proposals from the Labour Party are, therefore, completely unjustified and together will be seen as an attack on the legitimate shooting community. The suggestion that over 600,000 shotgun certificate holders should have to prove their suitability to own a shotgun is of concern. Although Labour does not say how these assessments of fitness would be made, it can only be an unjustified burden on a law-abiding minority and threaten the future of an industry that is worth 1.6 billion a year and employs 60,000 people.
HUNTING IS OUR FAVOURITE LESSON

YOUNGSTERS FROM The Elms School near Malvern hit the headlines in September when their Classics teacher, Sarah Austen, took them autumn hunting with the Ledbury. The school has a long connection with
The Elms School has a long connection with the Ledbury
the hunt, begun by enthusiastic former headmaster, Clive Ashby. Mrs Austen has taken charge of the young entry and now a group from the Elms goes out with the Ledbury each Monday during
the season. Mrs Austen explains: Each group gets to go out twice a term and we arrive at second horses, so the field tends to have thinned out by then. The children love it. Joint-master Louise Daly tells us: The volume of laughter and chat is deafening, but they always behave impeccably. Hunting is a very important education. We had one faller on Monday who forgot to put his legs forward, but hell remember next time.
News
Doubts have been cast over new Scottish weapons controls
10
things to do this winter
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SHO OT I NG
Fuller event listings on page 49

27 Nov: Annual Wetherby Countryside Race Day, featuring Race for Repeal.
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Scottish air weapon licensing update

THE SCOTTISH Governments consultation on plans to introduce a licensing system for weapons drew a robust rejection from the Scottish Countryside Alliance (SCA). The SCA urged all shooters to sign an online petition, support a Facebook campaign and respond to the consultation. When the consultation closed, 87% of respondents had rejected the proposal. The Scottish Government claimed the replies were not representative of the wider population, with almost three-fifths coming from England, and around a fifth from cut-out coupons in shooting magazines. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill insisted it is simply not right for airguns to be held without licence. Democracy in action... The petition was presented to the Parliamentary Petitions Committee in
September, with SCA Director for Scotland Jamie Stewart in attendance. Convener David Stewart MSP and committee members asked interesting and perhaps naive questions which were well answered by Dave Ewing, petitioner, with additional evidence from Tom Parker SACS and Dr Colin Shedden BASC (Scotland). Despite this, the First Minister introduced a licensing bill. Serious doubts have been cast over new controls after senior Scottish police warned licensing would be too expensive and unwieldy. The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents has now asked the Scottish Government to reconsider the plan to license all air guns north of the border, partly because there are so many in Scotland that the extra cost and burden on police would be considerable at a time of shrinking budgets.
Boxing Day Meets will take place across the UK on 26 December. Visit www.mfha.co.uk for a listing.
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Support your hunt at your local Pointto-Point.Visit www.pointtopoint.co.uk

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Our weekly e-news, the grass e-route, goes to 65,000 each week. Sign up on our website to stay in the loop.
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Support us by buying Christmas cards, 2014 calendars and gifts at www. countrysidemarketplace.co.uk
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29 January: End of season game supper at the Cholmondeley Arms. Email info@cholmondeleyarms.co.uk
WELSH ACCESS REVIEW SPARKS CONCERN

THE WELSH Government will review access legislation and guidance in Wales, Culture Minister John Griffiths has said. The review will form part of possible new legislation that will see an increase of access to both land and water in Wales, particularly to increase outdoor recreation opportunities such as walking, cycling, canoeing and wild swimming. There are elements of the proposals that we welcome, for example, the simplification of legislation to allow the re-routing of footpaths from farm yards, a process which is currently complex, costly and time-consuming. However, we have great concern for the implications of wider open access proposals. The Alliance held a meeting in Builth Wells in September to discuss the proposals and from that meeting derived
The Countryside Alliance meeting in Builth Wells
23 February 2014: Countryside Alliance Point-to-Point at Badbury Rings. Email alison-hawes@ countryside-alliance.org
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SACC Sustainable Access Campaign Cymru, a group set up to oppose unnecessary legislation. A subsequent meeting with the Minister in midOctober enabled us to air our concerns. The proposals will be put forward in a Green Paper due out in December and we urge members to submit a response. See www.accesscymru.org or email rachel-evans@countryside-alliance.org
7 March: Sandown Countryside Race Day. Contact michelle-nudds @countryside-alliance.org

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7 March: Thrusters Ball at Botleigh Grange Hotel, Southampton. alisonhawes@countryside-alliance.org

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11-14 March 2014: The iconic Cheltenham Festival.
News
Research into the effects of fracking on the countryside is needed
R E SE A RC H
FRACKING AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COUNTRYSIDE

OVER THE last six months the issue of fracking has become one of the most talked about issues in the country. With legitimate concerns being raised about water abstraction, water contamination, flaring, light pollution and rig density, it is important to fully investigate the potential impact shale gas extraction will have on the countryside. This is why we have commissioned independent research focusing on environmental concerns and industry regulation. However, the Countryside Alliance does recognise the huge benefits that fracking could bring in terms of sustainable energy for the UK, creation of jobs and lower bills for consumers, but these benefits need to be balanced with the impact fracking could have on the countryside. If fracking goes ahead in the UK we need to ensure it is conducted in a manner that respects the countryside and ensures those benefits are felt by all.
H U N T I NG
Promotional pack helps hunts liaise with media

PUBLICITY AND liaising with the media are all part and parcel of running a modern hunt, so the Countryside Alliance has put together a new online media and promotional pack to help. The pack has been designed to give some advice to hunts when faced with the pressures of dealing with the media and includes interview tips, press release writing tips and local newspaper contacts by region. The pack also includes an activities section, which highlights suitable activities, such as a hunter trial, childrens meet and a morning puppy walking, to organise throughout the season and suggests ways in which to promote these activities. The pack came in useful for hunts during Hunting Newcomers Week in late October. The pack can be downloaded from the hunting page of our website: www.countryside-alliance.org
GA M E - TO - E AT
Game is the spicy story at the KT

COUNTRY LIFE, the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator and Shooting Times mingled with Kenningtons Vicar and his wife, game dealers and members of the Indian restaurant world at the Kennington Tandoori (KT) in late October to celebrate our Game-to-Eat campaigns spiced game project with the restaurant. Barney WhiteSpunner, with KT owners Kowsar and Rukshana Hoque, welcomed guests and enthused about the project. The central message: game is plentiful, seasonal and works beautifully with Indian spices. Ten recipes created by the collaboration are now being rolled out across the country at tasting events and several venues have held special game events.
The KT team with Barney White-Spunner
At the KT, guests tucked into achari grouse, venison shatkora and more. Kowsar said the dishes are now on the menu, so get booking! More game recipes: www.gametoeat.co.uk
News
B B C BI A S
BE HONEST AND FAIR, AUNTIE

IN LATE July, the Countryside Alliance team met with members of the independent panel tasked with carrying out a review for the BBC Trust of the impartiality of the BBCs rural coverage. Thanks to all who fed in information for this meeting, it was invaluable and we look forward to hearing the panels thoughts in due course. Skip forward a few weeks to an approach in late September from the advertising team at BBC Countryfile magazine asking if we wanted to publicise our online shop, the Countryside Marketplace, in their Christmas gift guide. We sent over copy and all seemed to be in order until a call saying that the advert had been passed on to someone high up for compliance and they had vetoed taking advertising from us as we are involved in political lobbying. When asked do you mean hunting? the ad person said he expected so. If proof was needed that the BBC, and Countryfile in particular, like to offer a sanitised version of the countryside that bears little resemblance to the reality for farmers and others living there, this is it. BBC Trust review panel, please take note. Was our advertisement (pictured left) honestly that political?
News in brief
WORKING HARD TO PROMOTE RURAL LIFE
Supporting rural firms

The Countryside Alliance Awards, aka the Rural Oscars, attracted thousands of nominations for small rural businesses across England, Scotland and Wales. Regional Champions will be announced in January.
MEP meets with SCA

SCA Director Jamie Stewart met Paul Wheelhouse MSP Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Minister was grateful for industry support to Scottish Natural Heritage as it continues to define and refine wildlife management in Scotland.
Fieldsports future face

Congratulations to Fergus Payne, winner, and Cheyenne KorbuttBrown, runner-up, for success in the inaugural Fieldsports Magazine Really Wild Future Face of Fieldsports 2013. The Countryside Alliance helped to judge the category read more in Fieldsports Magazine.
SHO OT I NG
NO RISE IN FIREARMS LICENSING FEES

THE COUNTRYSIDE Alliance welcomed a clarification from the Home Office in September that there will be no immediate rise in firearms licensing fees. The Association of Chief Police Officers had recommended that fees for shotgun and firearms certificates should almost double in price, from 50 now to 94 in October and up to 109 by 2015. The Countryside Alliance accepts that costs will increase over time, given that the last review of fees was in 2001. However, the purpose of firearms licensing is to ensure that the public is protected. As this public benefit is gained by the imposition of the licensing system, it is only fair that a proportion of the cost should be met from the public purse. This is welcome news and bears testament to the hard work of shooting groups who, along with the British Shooting Sports Council, have been working with the police and Government on this subject for more than a year.
ECs firearms fudge

The European Commission branded the 80,000 responses to its firearms consultation not representative of a cross section of the general public. European Hunting Federation FACE, of which the Countryside Alliance is a member, is pursuing this amid concerns the consultation was a fudge.
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HAT CONNECTS a small town in Herefordshire, a pack of foxhounds and a Royal Navy minesweeper thats recently returned from a mission to the Mediterranean? The answer is the name Ledbury.
A foxs mask, a spur and horns: these are just some emblems that adorn the Royal Navys anti-mine vessels, but why do they have a hunting theme? C H A R L O T T E C O O P E R finds out
HMS Ledbury and seven other ships make up the hunt-class, vessels that live up to their name by using high-denition sonar to search the worlds sea beds for mines and lost explosives. And this connection, which began almost 100 years ago, is the basis for incredible links of friendship between
HUNT-CLASS: THE NAVAL CONNECTION
12 COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE | WINTER 2013
HUNTINGS HERITAGE
FEATURE
Facing page: HMS Ledbury and its crew (inset). Above: relationships between the hunt, hounds and serving crew are very strong
hunting and the Royal Navy that are as strong today as they were in 1916. There are 176 registered packs of foxhounds in existence in England and Wales today and this numerosity means that when the Royal Navy was searching for a name series for its new minesweepers in the First World War, the hunt-class was born. A Naval spokesman said: The Ships Names and Badges Committee has the responsibility of naming vessels. The hunt theme was chosen for the wartime vessels on the grounds that there were a large number of hunts. Other wartime vessels were named in a similar manner, hence the large number of Flower Class Corvettes, Town Class Destroyers etc. The committee also considers other criteria such as promoting links with communities, the geographical spread of names and opportunities to revive names with an honourable history of
WE ARE ALL GREATLY LOOKING FORWARD TO VISITING THE SHIP AND WELCOMING THEM TO OUR EVENTS THIS SEASON
service. The hunt theme also has an obvious connection between the name and the mine-hunting role of the ships. An honourable history Originally 20 ships bore the names of hunts, from the Atherstone to the Zetland. Over the 97 years since commissioning, these ships have been replaced and newer vessels given the same names, and today eight of those names are still are in service. Although the level of connection between hunt and ship depends on the
Commanding Ofcer of the time, and COs change very regularly, relations are generally very strong. At the Chiddingfold, Leconeld and Cowdray (CL&C) hunt this means CO Richard Rees and his crew are invited to hunt balls, puppy shows, point-to-points and many other events. The CL&Cs George Grammar said: The ship has recently undergone a ret, so reciprocal activities were curtailed, but we are all greatly looking forward to visiting the ship and welcoming them to our events this season. And serving crew from HMS Quorn enjoy regular visits to meets and the kennels. Lieutenant Commander Simon Pressdee, CO of HMS Ledbury, likes to keep his sponsor hunt up to date with onboard activities with a regular newsletter. His most recent covered the three months his crew spent deployed in the Mediterranean and then to Norway and the Baltic. The Ledbury crew is due to visit the hunt kennels in December, once they have returned to the UK. Its a three-way relationship, between the ship, the hunt and the town of Ledbury, said Donald Haden of the hunt. I continuously have to remind the town council that the ship is named after us not them, but if you look at the ships emblem its crossed hunting horns and a cutlass on a background of red and brown to represent the hunts red jackets with chocolate collar. Shore leave When the crew of HMS Ledbury are in town, its an excuse to party and the ofcers and ratings have been involved in rugby, football and cricket matches and, of course, visits to the local Westons cider factory.
WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE 13
FEATURE
HUNTINGS HERITAGE
Sea dogs: HMS Ledburys crew welcomes the hounds
The hunt-class minesweepers

HMS Atherstone the Crazy A, as it is fondly known, is currently deployed in the Gulf. HMS Brocklesby the Brocklesby has recently returned from an exercise in the Mediterranean, with Cattistock and Ledbury, where it was singled out as the most effective mine warfare vessel in the Royal Navy. HMS Cattistock like the other hunt-class ships, Cattistock is made of glass-reinforced plastic and is therefore non-magnetic, which makes her more resistant to mines. Shes off to the Gulf later this year. HMS Chiddingfold the newly retted Cheery Chid is waiting for her next deployment. She played a starring role in Dartmouth Regatta in August. HMS Hurworth Commanding Ofcer Ben Vickery is a hunt-class regular, having also served on Ledbury and Middleton. HMS Ledbury the oldest of the hunt-class ships, Ledbury was commissioned in 1981. Her new commanding ofcer, Simon Presdee, took over in September HMS Middleton following three years in the Gulf, Middleton is undergoing a ret. HMS Quorn the last of the eight to be commissioned, in 1989, Quorn is currently deployed in the Gulf.
Sailors from HMS Atherstone, whose crest is a foxs mask, also are invited to take part in local events, including the Atherstone Ball Game, held on Shrove Tuesday each year which makes rugby look soft, said former hunt secretary Jane Harvey. When they visit they are lodged at farms all over the hunt country and are always absolutely delightful, if a little bemused, said Jane. Hunt masters and committees also get a privileged view behind the scenes of the
THE SHIPS EMBLEM IS CROSSED HUNTING HORNS AND A CUTLASS ON A BACKGROUND OF RED AND BROWN TO REPRESENT THE HUNTS RED JACKETS WITH CHOCOLATE COLLAR
warships. Janes most cherished memory is of a cocktail party on board HMS Atherstone at Salford Keys two years ago and Donald remembers a close brush with royalty at an event in 2005, when HMS Ledbury was part of an International Fleet Review, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The Queen sailed past in an Icelandic icebreaker and all the sailors saluted her it was an amazing sight, he said.
C H A R LOT T E CO OP E R
is the Alliances Head of Media Relations and spent six years writing about equine matters at Horse & Hound
The Cattistock Christmas Service is regularly enlivened by the uniforms of those serving on HMS Cattistock. They are very good at coming to village events and inviting us to visit them, said Annabel Levaux, liaison ofcer for the hunt. Last year, I had a day on board and got to sit in a gun carriage. It was great fun! HMS Hurworth has a hunting horn donated by its hunt which must enliven life on board, the Ledbury has a foxs mask in the ofcers ward room and HMS Atherstone once received a side of Hereford beef from hunting farmers. The connection between the Navy and hunts is such a wonderful and important thing, said George Grammar of the CL&C. We hope it continues for another hundred years.
Photos: HMS Ledbury Crest, www.shipcrest.com
FEATURE
CONSERVATION
Preserving moorlands: shooting benefits local wildlife through conservation
Model example exemplified

J A C K K N O T T looks at the harmony shooting, conservation and love of wildlife bring to Whitfield, a gem of a sporting estate in Northumberland
Photo: www.verityjohnson.co.uk
The estate offers over 150 shooting days
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ITH PHEASANT, partridge, grouse, wildfowl and rough shooting all available, Whiteld Estate, just west of Hexham in Northumberland, is every part a great shooting estate and, stretching to over 16,000 acres, it is top class in every single discipline. The estate manages over 150
JACK K NOT T
is part of the Countryside Alliances shooting campaign, working hard on Game-to-Eat and promoting Shot for the Pot
days shooting a year and head keeper, Stuart Maughan, is in charge of the whole operation. It is not the large number of days that is truly impressive but the fact they are happy to organise you anything from a hundred brace day on the moor down to one man and his dog, rough shooting for the pot. Everyone who turns up to shoot is treated in the same manner, with respect and leadership from Stuart and his 10-man-strong team. Understandably, these are busy months for Stuart, yet he, like so many other gamekeepers around the country, is putting in countless further hours of work conserving the land beyond the call of
shooting. Sometimes the orders come from above, but in most cases it is for their own personal joy and love of the countryside. Predator control One such effort towards conserving the land is the long-debated predator control. There is no doubt that predator control has benets reaching further than simply that of the game Stuart protects. A prime example of this at Whiteld is that whilst there are predator controls in place to protect the
COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE | WINTER 2013
C O N TA C T W H I T F I E L D The Estate Office is open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. Call 01434 345273 or email sporting@whitfieldestate.co.uk
CONSERVATION
FEATURE
Clockwise from top left: a red grouse in flight; head keeper Stuart Maughan; gundogs and handlers in the beaters wagon; grouse shooting on the moors
IT SEEMS STUART DOES NOT FEEL IT IS HIS JOB BUT HIS DUTY TO BRING RED SQUIRRELS BACK TO THE LAND WHERE THEY ONCE THRIVED
red grouse, the black grouse have also reaped the rewards. Although numbers of black grouse have struggled in the previous two years owing to horrendous winter weather, a healthy population of 20 grey hens is more than impressive, especially in England. There is a strict ban on shooting them at Whiteld, resulting in no income for the estate, however, the pride that Stuart has when talking about them and, more obviously, when visitors spy them from afar is something money cannot buy. Alongside predator control, which continues all year round, the team at Whiteld decided 20 years ago that overwinter feeding was incredibly benecial to help the game birds through the hungry gap from January onwards. This practice has nally come to the attention of Natural England, for once again the
benet stretches further than the success of the game birds to other struggling species such as passerines. Anyone who has seen a hopper in mid-winter will know it is covered in songbirds. House sparrows, nut-hatches and yellowhammers have all beneted hugely from the over-winter feeding on the estate and, as of January, Natural England have included the practice in stewardship schemes to persuade and encourage farmers to take up the option. Benets to non-target species At Whiteld there is one further conservation example that sums up their brilliant and successful countryside management plan: the red squirrel. Stuart explains that he does not feel like it his job but his duty to bring back red squirrels to the land where they once thrived. Although in this case, help is given from external sources such as the National Lottery Fund which matches all funding put in by the estate. The bottom line is, controlling the number of grey squirrels to help the revival of the reds has absolutely no benet to the estate, it is only driven by their own beliefs and love for the
great British countryside. By no means is this a competition as to whose land is the most environmentally friendly, but in all honesty, if I saw a red squirrel in my garden it would bring a smile to my face every single morning. The Whiteld estate does not stop the giving back there. Every year, they hold a highly impressive clay pigeon shoot to raise money for the Countryside Alliance so we can continue helping and rewarding those who do fantastic work in and for the countryside; people who are sadly sometimes forgotten, or even vilied, by other organisations and media outlets. I have no doubt that gamekeepers such as Stuart have more knowledge about their land than any scientist will ever be able to record. For this reason they should be congratulated not slandered when it comes to helping this countrysides wildlife thrive once more.
FURTHER INFORMATION
With 15,000 acres of sporting terrain to choose from, the Whitfield Estate is able to offer great sport throughout the shooting season. For more information go to www.whitfieldsporting.co.uk
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FEATURE
SHOOTING
Photos: Tim Bonner
T I M B O N N E R argues that for a minority activity wildfowling boasts a rich artistic history. He explains the appeal of heading below the sea wall
Below the sea wall
HERE ARE no great books about game shooting. Plenty of authors have followed Sir Ralph Payne-Galweys lead in High Pheasants in Theory and Practice and lectured us on how to improve our shooting, or our shoot, but there is no literary tradition of works which really explain the essence of the sport. By comparison with game shooting wildfowling is a minority activity. Comparatively few people venture below the sea wall in pursuit of ducks, geese and waders and prior to the First World War most were professionals hunting for the market or locals shooting for the pot. Yet wildfowling can boast a rich history of authors producing memorable works from the end of the 19th century and books like Peter Scotts Morning Fight and BBs Dark Estuary on wildfowling are some of the nest
literature on any country sport. Then of course there are the wildfowling artists with the aforementioned high amongst them. Reections of a fowler Why such a minority activity should have generated such artistic outpouring is not surprising for those of us who have experienced the world between the tides. Cynics might suggest that the lack of things to shoot at leaves plenty of time for everything else, and it is true that the fowler often has the opportunity for contemplation. The real reason, however, is the beauty and the challenge of both the environment and the quarry. Ducks and darkness Nearly everyone who has ever stood beside a ight pond waiting for the arrival of ducks and darkness has felt the rst stirrings of the wildfowler. Even the homebred mallard of the shires have a wildness and unpredictability that lowland game species can rarely match, but the mystery of their arrival on a calm inland pond is multiplied a hundred, a thousand, times by the experience of
hunting migratory species like wigeon, teal and pintail in the shifting tidescape of an estuary. The wigeon is generally accepted as the iconic duck of the estuary. The cock is a fabulous creation of browns, yellows, greys and white and his whistle carries proudly across the estuary. For me, however, the pintail is the most extraordinary and charismatic of all the ducks. As long as a mallard, but ner with an elongated neck, the cock has a white belly and throat below a dark chocolate head. As the season goes on his pin tail lengthens until he reaches his full magnicent breeding plumage in January and February. For many it is the great grey geese which arrive every autumn
T I M B ON N E R is Director of Campaigns at the Alliance and is happy he never has to choose between wildfowling, cricket and fishing as his passions
WHY SUCH A MINORITY ACTIVITY SHOULD HAVE GENERATED SUCH ARTISTIC OUTPOURING IS NOT SURPRISING FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE WORLD BETWEEN THE TIDES
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SHOOTING
FEATURE
Left: Pod the Labrador proves his worth time and again on the Blackwater Estuary. Above: wigeons in flight. Below: dawn breaks over the estuary
SHOOTING INSURANCE Alliance members enjoy the best all-round country sports insurance package around. To renew your membership call 020 7840 9300.
I STOPPED SHOOTING OUT OF MERCY TO THE DOG WHOSE COAT WAS TURNING WHITE AS THE SEA WATER FROZE ON HIM
from their breeding grounds in Iceland and Greenland which draw them to the shore. Certainly there is no experience in shooting that creates the adrenaline of a skein of geese on the wing and heading in the general direction of your ambush in the grey light of morning. Many writers record the effects of goose fever which include both insomnia and the complete loss of any ability to point a gun straight at its target. They also record the rare joy of a successful ight when the fowler returns to the sea wall with a heavy bag and a feeling of satisfaction that can never be replicated in more rened forms of shooting. A difcult season Last season was even more difcult than most. Biblical rains turned most of the country into an inland lake and
wildfowl had such a choice of feeding and roosting grounds that there was hardly a quack or a whistle on the estuary. The weather remained wet and mild through to the end of January, but then in February winter suddenly arrived. Thankfully the season for ducks and geese is extended until 20 February below the sea wall and there was just a chance that something could be salvaged from a long, largely fruitless season. First the boy and I had a nice little tide ight when he killed three teal with his 20 bore then, on a day so cold the sea was freezing, I had an extraordinary evening ight which ended with pintail and wigeon piling into my decoys unmolested as I stopped shooting out of mercy to the dog whose coat was turning white as the sea water froze on him. The image of 20 pintail locked on to the decoys as if they were on tracks before I took two drakes from the middle of them will be with me until I die, as will the feeling of contentment as I climbed the seawall with a heavy rucksack of decoys and ducks on my back. Yes, wildfowling is difcult, but that is half the point of it. Every
The next generation of wildfowler

The age at which to start a child shooting is down to an intimate knowledge of their character and behaviour. As parents we are the only people who can make that judgement. The answer might be eight or 18. For my son, Tom, who has always been a sensible lad, it was at the bottom end of that range. To instil a proper culture of respect for a rearm and generate real enjoyment in using one, there are few better places to start than with an air rie with open scope and a few tin cans. Tom is now 12 and is a seasoned shot, never happier than when on the Essex Blackwater with his father.
bird shot is a real achievement and on those few occasions in a season when the fowler reads weather, tides and quarry right, and shoots straight enough for his dog to retrieve the birds he connects with, the world is a very special place.
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FEATURE
HUNTING
In the footsteps of Surtees

I A N VA L E N T i N E
Photos: Georgina Cranston
joins the followers of a farmers huntin Nottinghamshire, during a landmark anniversary of R S Surtees Handley Cross
HIS yEAr marks 170 years since the publication of Handley Cross, arguably the most famous work by the Victorian comic writer Robert Smith Surtees. The landscape may have changed beyond recognition since the main character John Jorrocks heyday, but the enthusiasm for watching hounds burns as brightly with todays hunt followers as ever it did when that crafty cockney rode forth.
I A N VA L E N T i N E is an author and journalist from a Scottish farming background. Now freelance, he was a writer and features editor at IPC Media, and a GQ columnist for five years
In March, I had the pleasure to join the Grove & Rufford Hunt on the nal day of its season, a convivial meet on a farm in Nottinghamshire. The rain and snow clouds had parted to reveal clear skies and sunshine. Local records for hunting go back as far as the 17th century. However, it was not until 1952 that the Grove & Rufford combined to form the current country. While some of the grander hunts attract publicity, the Grove & Rufford is happy to y below the radar. Joint master Jane Strawson MFH addressed the eld before the off, underlining the debt of gratitude they all owed to the farmers, keepers and landowners who allow the hunt to pass through their land.
Good morning, everybody, she said as yet another round of pies and cakes were offered by the hosts, Chris and Suzanne Germany. The lines have been laid and we will be hunting within the law. The going will be wet, so please dont go out on point unless asked to. Joining the hunt followers on such a cold day provided me with a guilty pleasure. As the blue-lipped riders trotted forth, our mobile grandstand piled into heated cabs lled with asks that warmed the core. Farming relationships In the cab with me was joint master John Michael MFH. He explained that the hunt committees agricultural background helped maintain momentum following the 2004 Hunting Act. Were fortunate that our masters are farming people, he said. The upkeep of relationships with the landowners, farmers and gamekeepers is the most important part of my job. Jorrocks wasnt always so sympathetic to farmers but, happily, times have changed. John underlined that the hunt still provides a service for local landowners. Our terriermen are always on hand to help with
20 COUNTRYSIDE ALLIAncE | WINtEr 2013
HUNTING
FEATURE
ALL TIME IS LOST WOT IS NOT SPENT IN UNTING. IT IS LIKE THE HAIR WE BREATHE IF WE HAVE IT NOT, WE DIE
Convivial hosts: the Grove & Rufford meet on a farm in Nottinghamshire
The hounds diet of esh is augmented with pork and beef pies from Melton Mowbray, making short work of the rejects deemed unt for human consumption. The pies smell wonderful, said June ruefully. Especially at Christmas time with their cranberry sauce. Some of them have just the smallest imperfections, but at least they dont go to waste. Stalwart of the hunt A reliable source of useful hunt information in these parts is Martin Horrocks, a stalwart of the hunt at 85 years old. Jorrocks claim to be a sportsman all over, and to the backbone is apt for Martin too, who remains as keen to watch the hounds as when he was a boy. When he was at Radley College, aged 17, just after the end of World War II, he escorted fourand-a-half couple beagles from Oxford to Retford in the guards van, changing trains twice (try doing that nowadays!). Yet it was only at the age of 45, having retired from rugby, that Martin took up riding. I wanted to get closer to the action, he said. It was the foxes I wanted to see. Such wild and beautiful animals. I remember once trying to turn a fox in a stand of willow. I was stood on the bank and the fox ran clean through my legs. I can see it like it happened yesterday. This year is also the 160th anniversary of Surtees other seminal work, Mr Sponges Sporting Tour. During one of his shameless ruses, Soapey observes it is best to let the horse go his way, and pretend it is yours; there is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse. This resonates with Martin. I was never very good at
any fox problem, he explained. But the hunt also plays an important social role. A lot of the farmers still want to see us riding across their land and jumping their hedges. I know one who gets grumpy if we dont take on his six-foot hedge I suspect he likes to see us all fall off! We followed the eld as it passed the red-brick farmhouses that punctuate this area of Nottinghamshire. We could hear the clip-clop of hooves before the rst hounds and red coats appeared above the skyline, led by huntsman Paul Larby. The line had been laid that morning by joint secretary June White, by dragging an oil-soaked rag from the back of a quad bike. Her family takes an active role in the hunt, whether hosting the day or helping to turn hounds if they stray too close to a main road or village. You could say we are more hound than horse, she said. Every year, we walk four puppies, teaching them to recognise their names and to walk on a lead. This year, the family has Warlock, Wagtail, Wagstaff and Walnut, which were leaning longingly on the wire of their enclosure as the pack crossed a nearby eld. Their time will come soon enough.
jumping, he conded. Thankfully, like old Jorrocks, I had an eye for a gap. Once the last wood had been drawn, the followers and hunt staff congregated for tea, scones and pork pies and some ne damson gin in Junes cosy kitchen to reect on another pleasant season. Enjoying a slice of coffee cake, Martin recalled his favourite book growing up: Wild Lone by BB. I would read it every school term and twice in the holidays, he said. His imagery has never left me. At the end of that book, BB evokes the passing of the season with trademark optimism: The March wind was playing a merry jest with the winter-weary world. Begone all signs of autumns sadness and fallen leaves! Now for a real spring clean of copse and meadow, street and town. But the last word should perhaps go to Jorrocks, for whom the arrival of spring was cause for gloomy reection. Unting is all thats worth living for, he proclaimed in Handley Cross. All time is lost wot is not spent in unting. It is like the hair we breathe if we have it not, we die. This article rst appeared in Shooting Times & Country Magazine and is republished here with grateful thanks. To subscribe call 0845 676 7778. We wish the Grove & Rufford and its supporters an excellent season.
WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE 21
M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N www.gowerbrewery.com Follow on Twitter @GowerBrewery
RURAL OSCARS
FEATURE
Ales of outstanding natural beauty
Gower Brewery is only a few years old but has already won a Rural Oscar. R A C H E L E V A N S finds out about the brewery thats flying the flag for quality Welsh produce
N 2012 THE Countryside Alliance Awards, aka the Rural Oscars, added a start-up category to its line-up. The thinking was that any new rural business prepared to start out during hard economic times deserves whatever platform we can give them. I was delighted when the inaugural Welsh winners, Gower Brewery, went on to scoop the UK & Ireland title at Westminster in March. This energetic and ambitious South Wales business continues to go from strength to strength. The Gower Brewery wanted to ll a gap in the market by supplying highquality locally produced real ales in the Swansea and Gower area of South Wales. The idea of starting a microbrewery had been discussed many times. Already running two busy pubs in the Gower, the team felt forming a microbrewery was the natural next step. In creating a strong local brand, the business would not only contribute towards the local community and economy, it could also boost tourism and draw more people into Gower, including their own outlets, helping them to survive in tough times. The business was set up during the recession, in an industry supplying a dwindling number of outlets. Finance was refused by all the banks approached, meaning all nancing had to be raised privately. Against this backdrop, Gower Brewery itself was conceived in August 2011. Having acquired a ve-barrel brew plant by October, the rst brew was on
Photos: www.andersonphotography.co.uk
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson MP and Rachel Evans with the Gower Brewery team
Gower Power: true brew

The Gower peninsula in South Wales, near Swansea, is a beautiful place. Rolling green hills, plunging cliffs, the sea, the sand its a feast for the senses. And out the back of one of the pubs in the area The Greyhound Inn, in Oldwalls theres a little brewery, simply named the Gower Brewery. Its only been going since 2011, merely two years, but frankly there must be something in the water down there, as both the brewery itself and the beer they are producing is world class. Review by www.caughtbytheriver.net
The ales are handcrafted to the highest standards
11/11/11 a memorable date for many reasons. It took a further three months to create a range of high-quality beers and test them in their outlets. The logo design, the brand, beer labels and other marketing items were also worked on, and the products were launched in February 2012. Ten different ales were created in 12 months, including Gower Gold, Gower Power a powerful Welsh example of a true British classic and Lighthouse Lager. The brewery now produces handcrafted ales of the highest standards, using traditional methods and the highest quality ingredients, such as the oormalted barley from Warminster Maltings and hops from Charles Faram & Co. Keeping it local Within six months, the Gower Brewery was supplying nearly every single free house on the Peninsula. A sure sign of the blossoming success of the operation was the news that many of the locals, on trying the Brewerys wares, moved away from their old favourites to the new Gower ales. And this next to the media and tourist attention the brewery was receiving meant the momentum was gathering and a success had been born. The local ethos is, as you would expect from a Rural Oscars winner, a top priority. The brewery supports the local farming community by sending the waste grain
to feed livestock a cracking piece of recycling. The lamb is then purchased for the two public houses associated with the brewery, so everyone benets. Gower uses local designers and tradesmen, it has created many jobs in the area and supplies local outlets, including pubs, shops and restaurants, tapping into Wales 5-billion-a-year tourism sector. The local ethos also sees the team get involved in the sponsorship of the local rugby team and hold presentations for local groups such as the Womens Institute. Plus, the brewery takes part in local produce markets and beer festivals and carries out educational tours to help people understand the traditional brewing process, inviting tour groups from all over South Wales. This year, the Sainsburys Great British Beer Hunt saw bottles of Gower Brewerys beers stocked in Sainsburys, bringing well-deserved national recognition to the Peninsula. Congratulations to Gower Brewery we raise a glass to continued success for your community, the local economy and for you as ambassadors for Wales.
R AC H E L E VA N S
is the Countryside Alliances Director for Wales. From a farming background, Rachel works hard to promote Welsh produce and enterprise
Gower Brewery celebrate with Shadow Defra Minister, Welsh MP Huw Irranca-Davies
23
FEATURE
RESEARCH
Let us protect our livelihoods

D A V I D T H O M A S introduces the FWFPs research into flushing and shooting foxes. He explains why the unjustified limit of two dogs for fox control in England and Wales must go
The limit of two dogs is totally arbitrary
DAV I D T HOM A S
is the Secretary of the Federation of Welsh Farmers Packs. He farms at Llandrindod Wells in Powys
Farmers need the freedom to protect their lambs from predators
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*An eminent vet who co-authored, with Prof Roger Harris and others, the Joint Universities Study into deer hunting in 1999
he hunting of foxes has been the subject of heated debate for many years in the UK. The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament in February 2002 and the Hunting Act 2004 came into force in England and Wales in early 2005. Both Acts banned the hunting of wild mammals with dogs, but the exemptions they contained for pest control differed. Exemptions in both pieces of hunting legislation allow foxes to be ushed from cover to be shot as a means of pest control. In England and Wales this can only be done by two dogs, whereas in Scotland there is no limit and that difference is the crux of the research that was carried out this year by the FWFP. The whole reason for the existence of gun packs in upland Wales is to reduce the fox population and limit the predation of lambs. When we took a questionnaire to markets around Wales, three-quarters of farmers reported an increase in losses to predators since the Hunting Act came into force. The limit of two dogs for ushing introduced by the Hunting Act in England and Wales was totally arbitrary. There was no scientic or practical reason for the number and the only justication given during the debate over the Hunting Act is that two dogs was not a pack. In Scotland, however, farmers could still employ a full pack of hounds and that gave us the perfect opportunity to try to prove that these suggestions were correct. So with the incredible support of Scottish packs, Dr Jeremy Naylor* and his team set up a study to compare the use of two hounds and a
pack ushing foxes from the same coverts. Researchers recorded the length of time between the hounds entering the covert; when they started speaking; when the rst fox left the covert; and nally when the hounds nished drawing. In addition, the total number of foxes that were ushed from the covert was recorded. The coverts were either recorded using the pack of hounds rst or the pair of hounds, giving a balanced design and leaving a clear three-week gap between repeats to allow any foxes to return to their normal habitat and behaviour. Flushing foxes Of the 80 repeated coverts completed, the pack of hounds ushed over twice the number of foxes out of the covert than the pair, with no difference between the pack or the pair going rst. The average time it took to ush the rst fox out of the covert was under half that for the pack of hounds over the pair. But the biggest difference was the time between the hounds starting to speak up until the fox was ushed, for the pack of hounds managed to ush out the fox from rst detecting it in under three minutes, the average time for the pair was just over 13 minutes. Using only two dogs greatly increases the amount of time a fox is pursued in the covert before it is ushed, leading to greater stress on the fox before it is shot. Further, using only two dogs signicantly reduces the number of foxes ushed, limiting the effectiveness of pest control. With this research to back us, the FWFP is calling for a very minor amendment to the Hunting Act: the removal of the two-dog limit. We are not looking for any changes to the purpose for which ushing and shooting can take place, nor are we seeking any change to the condition which states that a fox must be shot as soon as reasonably possible having been ushed. We have the support of a cross-party group of MPs that takes in Labour,
The Alliances position:

By Barney White-Spunner The FWFP makes an unarguable case, based on both effectiveness and animal welfare, for changes to the Hunting Act to remove the limit on the number of dogs they can use to ush to guns, and allow them to manage the fox population in the same way that Scottish farmers can. We support that call, as do all the other members of the Council of Hunting Associations, but we are clear that any amendment must not be seen as an alternative to the full repeal of the Hunting Act. We just do not believe that it is possible to amend or adapt a law as awed as the Hunting Act into any workable form.
Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru, and Defra said that it was studying the research with interest and the Prime Minister was apparently sympathetic to our plight. Just as in Scotland, Welsh farmers, and I am sure farmers in upland areas of England, want greater freedom to control foxes to protect their livelihoods. We have provided the research to justify the change and have the full support of our own MPs of all parties. We can only hope that the Government will support the farming community and the rural economy.
FEATURE
HUNTING
Community cohesion: hunting demonstrates the goodwill of farmers
ARRY MARVIN is Professor of Human Animal Studies at the University of Roehampton and has a longstanding interest in animals and their interactions with humans. This led to work with zoos and academic studies of bullghting and cockghting in Spain and, more recently, foxhunting and other game hunting. He was initially drawn to hunting with hounds through his studies of bullghting. In bullghting you bring a wild animal into the realm of humans and perform with it; in hunting the human goes out to search for the wild animal. This prompted Garry to look at the manner in which hunting is conducted. What initially intrigued me as the anthropologist is hunting as a complex ritual performance. Foxhunting can easily be understood as a ritual. Its highly elaborate, there are ceremonial clothes and codes of conduct, theres music and there is a whole language connected with the event. The elaborated nature of the event immediately suggests to an anthropologist that this is a considerably important event. One wonders what Garrys students make of this. I run a course titled Animals, Culture and Society. In one class I ask students to watch clips from the lm I helped make with the Ludlow Hunt. We see the Meet, the interactions between the Huntsman and hounds, and much else. I ask the students to set aside personal views and try to make sense of it as an anthropologist would do when seeing an unusual event for the rst time. How might an anthropologist try to understand this event? What elements are signicant? Its an approach that many people, especially politicians, would do well to emulate. A conservation tool I run another course in South Africa called People, Wildlife and Conservation, and the students are often disturbed at nding out about the importance of hunting as a conservation tool. They are confronted with people who run conservation areas who say they want hunters there. Many people automatically think that hunting and conservation dont go together. Garry accepts that hunting for outsiders may be disturbing, but insists that his students bring their
Photo: Verity Johnson
Hunting is a complex ritual performance

From the poetic to the condemning, descriptions of hunting reflect the range of public opinions about an activity most have not experienced. In an interview with B R I A N F A N S H A W E and J I M B A R R I N G T O N , anthropologist Garry Marvin gives an insight into the mindset of those who hunt
HUNTING
anthropological imaginations to what they are witnessing, thereby creating an understanding of it. He believes people who are opposed to such activities have a simplistic, albeit understandable, view. Explaining why people hunt or follow hunts is complex, because, as Garry states, What it certainly isnt about is the love of killing animals. Hunting relationships Garry points out a basic difference between game shooting and hunting with hounds. Foxhunting is an event in which hounds engage with the fox. There is a complex set of relationships between horses, humans, hounds and foxes. Whereas in shooting there is one person and the quarry thats why foxhunting is so fascinating to try to explain. Garry tells of an early interview he conducted with a West Country huntsman who said that he had never killed a fox, nor had his father, nor his grandfather before him, despite all being huntsmen. Thinking they were pretty lousy huntsmen, Garry was surprised until the huntsman said, But my hounds have. This was an important revelation for the anthropologist. To explain this perception of killing, Garry says, Humans going hunting are not animal predators. We recognised killing as being huntings biggest PR challenge but killing is not huntings primary aim. It is the huntsmans hope that the hounds will catch their quarry, but when it happens death is very quick and certain it is a natural animal-toanimal engagement. The notion of belonging and the world of the hunt has intrigued Garry for a long time. English foxhunting creates its own world in which people come together not just the Masters and riders but the foot followers. The number of days that people are involved in huntrelated events is huge and this creates a closely connected social world. Banning hunting threatened communities and social inclusiveness. To make a political rather than anthropological point, there is only anecdotal evidence of the range of people who hunt. It would be fascinating to do a survey to prove the social inclusiveness of those who hunt it would destroy the antis notion of toffs on horseback. Brian suggested that many farmers inferred that they belong to their local hunt. Garry responded that access to private farmland afforded to hunting illustrated a unique relationship of goodwill between farmers and hunts again, demonstrating social inclusiveness. He suggested many followers, but not the ofcials, Hunt to ride and are privileged to have this access to land, provided they treat it with respect. Hounds and huntsman The conversation broadened into a number of related issues. Jim asked how Garry sees the relationship between the huntsman and his hounds. Garry replied, This relationship is central to my work around human-animal relations. It is very complex what is it that allows a certain person (the huntsman) to control up to 30 hounds in open countryside? Just to see the huntsman arriving at the Meet with his hounds is fascinating. Brian said that the relationship was founded on the hounds love of hunting
FEATURE
IT WOULD BE FASCINATING TO DO A SURVEY TO PROVE THE SOCIAL INCLUSIVENESS OF THOSE WHO HUNT IT WOULD DESTROY THE ANTIS NOTION OF TOFFS ON HORSEBACK
that is provided by their handlers. One of the attractions of watching hunting is to observe the communication between the huntsman and his hounds. Garry spoke further about the respect, even love, that hunters express for their prey. This is something, he says, that outsiders cannot understand. He added that, he had never heard people say they go hunting because they hate foxes. Rather, they respect the fox and see it as a noble opponent. Cultural heritage Speaking as an interested foxhunting outsider rather than as an anthropologist, Garry suggested that in the debates to retain hunting we had failed to portray the cultural integrity of foxhunting, its heritage and traditions and social inclusiveness. Jim compared this to the falconers who have safeguarded falconry through UNESCOs acceptance of their sport as cultural heritage. Garry wondered why notions of heritage, culture and tradition had not been more to the fore in hunting debates. Our nal question to Garry was, What anthropological advice might you suggest to promote hunting? He responded, Present the event in all its complexity. People involved in hunting have rich knowledge about the event that has come about from years of experience. Much of this is tacit and they do not necessarily tell it openly because it is obvious to them. It is the task of the anthropologist to tease this out, to reveal the world of hunting from the inside. This rich local knowledge, local understanding, local experience and meaning is of great signicance to the debate about hunting. It is important to listen to it, and to listen to it with respect.
THERE IS A VERY COMPLEX SET OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HORSES, HUMANS, HOUNDS AND FOXES
A Fernie foxhound with a friend
Photo: Rose Rodgers
GA R RY M A RV I N
is a social anthropologist and professor of humananimal studies at the University of Roehampton, London
27
CONSERVATION
FEATURE
A cruel experiment
alerts you to a shocking story from the Netherlands that highlights the need for wildlife management
TIM BONNER
Ancient breeds of horses have been introduced but some suffer a cruel fate
MAGiNE, iF you are amongst those of us who are unlucky enough to commute into a major city, gazing from the window of your train at herds of emaciated deer, cattle and horses packed desperately against the fenceline whilst foxes and corvids pick over the bones of those that have already died. Ridiculous? Well, not if you live a short hop across the North Sea in the Netherlands, where commuters face exactly such sights each winter from their train into Amsterdam. An extraordinary experiment on about 15,000 acres of reclaimed land just 25 miles east of Amsterdam has managed the unique feat of uniting the animal rights movement and hunting community in abhorrence at the treatment of thousands of wild animals. The national debate over this nature reserve at Oostvaardersplassen tells us much not just about the very strange attitude the Dutch have towards animal welfare, but, more importantly, the conict between environmentalists espousing rewilding and what most UK
Winters are harsh for the animals andmany die of starvation
Hard winters saw herdsof animals lined against the fence of theirbarren reserve whilst the weakest collapsed and died
land managers would view as proper concern for the welfare of wild animals. Oostvaardersplassen was created when a polder, or inland lake, was drained in the 1960s and was originally destined for industrial use, but it lay empty in the recession-hit 1970s, occupied only by an increasing variety of bird species. This encouraged a successful campaign by environmentalists and bird-watchers to have the area turned into a nature reserve. Disease and starvation In the 1980s and 90s one of those campaigners, ecologist Frans Vera, championed the introduction of red deer as well as ancient breeds of cattle and horse into the reserve. Like the birds, the small groups of introduced grazing animals thrived, but unlike the birds they were enclosed in the reserves fences. Management was left to natural processes so there was no culling of the deer, cattle or horse populations and the inevitable happened as their numbers reached the capacity of the reserve. They started to die in large numbers each winter, mostly through disease and starvation, although some were shot where they collapsed. Hard winters saw herds of animals lined against the fence of their barren reserve whilst the weakest collapsed and died. Up to a third of the grazing animals in the reserve have perished in harsh winters
and lm of starving deer calves caused uproar when it was shown on prime time television, leading to a national debate led by Hollands animal rights party which returns MPs to parliament. In 2006, a government inquiry recommended a policy of reactive culling, but this only meant daily inspection during the winter and culling of those animals whose welfare was seriously compromised. The aim was to cull 90% of animals while they were still capable of standing, a policy which maintains a level of suffering that no UK deer manager would nd acceptable. And despite the recommendations, the controversy continues, fuelled by last winters harsh
The Battle of Baronsdown

It has been dubbed The Battle of Baronsdown the League Against Cruel Sports sanctuary for deer on Exmoor has come to prominence again and again. Sick deer have been filmed unable to move, in agony, often starving and suffering TB and other diseases. This level of negligence has long been indefensible and highlights why the Countryside Alliance and its supporters actively support proper management of the deer population. It is simple, humane common sense. The situation in Oostvaardersplassen will anger many, but whilst suffering like that at Baronsdown continues to occur we must remain alert to the consequences of mismanagement in the UK as well.
wiNtEr 2013 | COUNTRYsidE AlliANcE
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FEATURE
CONSERVATION
Left: the reserve may look beautiful but horror lurks beneath the surface. Right: wild horses and deer suffer unnecessarily
conditions which saw 1,684 animals die, 88% of them shot reactively by the Dutch Forestry Commission which manages the reserve. Thankfully, no-one has attempted such an experiment in the UK, although the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) appalling mismanagement of its Baronsdown sanctuary shows it is possible to engineer suffering even without fences (see page 29). LACS provided concentrated food on its 300-acre holding until the density of deer made disease inevitable. Its stalker, Gordon Pearce, blew the whistle in 2002 having found 104 dead or dying red deer on Baronsdown in the previous 12 months. Strangely, however, most conservation groups in the UK that are trying to revert large-scale habitats back to previous congurations have a different animal rights conundrum. To create, or recreate, wooded landscapes in highland Scotland, organisations like the National Trust for Scotland at Mar Lodge and the RSPB at Abernethy have proposed heavy deer culls to reduce the population to a level that allows trees to grow without fencing. In Assynt such a battle is raging now as neighbours of the John Muir Trusts Quinag estate are up in arms at plans to cull deer out of season and remove up to a third of the stags on its 9,000-acre estate. Much of the concern is based on the importance of red deer to the highland economy and the simple fact that, unlike Oostvaardersplassen, highland estates are not fenced and deer management cannot be considered on an estate-by-estate
basis. If the RSPB, the National Trust for Scotland or the John Muir Trust set out to reduce deer densities on their estates they will create a vacuum which will inevitably be lled by deer from the local area. The more they kill, the more will come. Ironically, Frans Veras whole purpose in introducing deer and ancient forms of horse and cattle into Oostvaardersplassen was to create a savannah-style landscape which he believes existed across Europe before man began to have an impact on the grazing animal species population by reducing their density. UK conservation organisations are trying to re-afforest upland areas replicating the same process those rst humans used by removing deer to reduce grazing animal species. Rejecting intervention So in Holland, and in the minds of rewilders, cattle, horses and deer are left to die slow and painful deaths as intervention is rejected, whilst UK conservationists line up their sights on thousands of deer in a cull which is almost equally distasteful to many in the rural community and the animal rights movement. But what of the rest of the UK and the highlands in particular? Is there mass slaughter or mass starvation? Well, as we know, there is neither, because for generations most of the British deer population has been proactively managed at a level that balances a healthy herd of deer with the holding capacity of the landscape. Of course, there are harsh winters in which even the best-managed herds will suffer some mortality.
The real conservationists are the landowners and stalkers who continue to manage the deer
T I M B ON N E R is Campaigns Director for the Countryside Alliance. He has been writing about countryside sports for more than a decade
Iremember one Caithness stalker telling me, with tears in his voice if not his eyes, that he shot the deer that were still trying to nd feed beneath the snow in the harsh winter of 2010 on the basis that if they were that desperate they must be on the verge of starvation. There are also a very few examples of landowners who have not fullled their responsibilities properly and, in extreme cases, the Deer Commission for Scotland has the power to enter land and carry out a managed cull where the landowner has not. Across most of the highlands, however, deer are managed sustainably whilst providing an income which helps maintain the estate infrastructure and the local community. Culling is pro-active, not reactive. Deer are not culled because they are suffering, but before they suffer. The old, the inrm and the weak are removed leaving the t and healthy. The landscape is protected, in fact conserved, in the state that both locals and visitors love. There are no mass winter die-offs as deer starve, nor are the glens emptied in massive culls. The real conservationists are the landowners and stalkers who continue to manage the deer and everyone interested in wild animals, their welfare and the countryside should be very grateful to them.
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COUNTRYSIDE ALLIAncE | WIntEr 2013
COURSING
FEATURE
T I M B O N N E R charts the history of coursing, which has united man and gaze hound for thousands of years
Out of sight
WO OF THE most natural activities in the world are hunting and racing, and since time immemorial the rst has led to the second. When the inhabitants of what we now call Iran hunted ibex with saluki-type sighthounds 6,000 years ago, as depicted in their surviving pottery, you can be certain that the conversation at the end of the day would have centred on whose dog was fastest. We can also be fairly sure that those Iranian huntsmen slipped their dogs on a passing gazelle from time to time to settle just such an argument. It was not until the 18th century, however, in ever-resourceful Britain that clubs were set up to run competitive coursing events which would allow competitions involving more than two dogs. Possibly owing to the lack of ibex, competitive coursing focussed on the brown hare. Those areas where there were plenty of them in open country suitable for running dogs became coursing centres. The greyhound had been developed for hunting quarry like the hare in Britain and the development of coursing saw the breed regulated and improved. Events involved greyhounds running a series of head-to-head courses in a knock-out format, with a judge ruling which dog would go through on a points-based system, rewarding dogs for speed and coursing ability. Coursing reached its pinnacle towards the end of the 19th century when the Waterloo Cup, started by the landlord of the Waterloo Inn in Liverpool and run over three days in nearby Altcar, could boast daily attendances of 75,000. In the 1920s the development of the method of racing greyhounds behind mechanical hares on oval tracks provided an easier way of running meetings and, with multiple runners, it was a more attractive betting medium. Coursing, however, maintained a strong FURTHER INFORMATION
Ancient heritage: a Roman mosaic depicts coursing
following throughout the UK, although in Ireland the focus has always been on park coursing of captive hares with muzzled greyhounds. The National Coursing Club In the UK, the National Coursing Club is the body that has always regulated coursing and its rules required hares to be coursed in a wild state. That meant that any ground wanting to hold a coursing meeting would have to be mindful of hare conservation and provide suitable habitat for them to thrive. Unlike poaching with lurcher-type dogs, few hares were killed in coursing events and the Government Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs published in 2001 concluded: Because hare numbers tend to be maintained at high levels in areas where hunting/coursing occurs, the impact of a ban might well be that, in the absence of other changes, the population would decline in those areas and unfortunately they almost certainly have. Popular countryside champion and coursing devotee Clarissa Dickson Wright has commented: I came late to Coursing under National Coursing Club rules and immediately fell in love with the process, with the speed and agility of the greyhounds and the clever deftness of the hare which almost always evaded the dogs and sped away. When I became well known I spent much time talking to journalists and realised they were misinformed and confused us with the illegal poachers who are wrongly referred to as coursers and whose deplorable practices will cause huge
The Waterloo Cup was held at Altcar until 2005
difculties to the restoration of coursing under National Coursing Club rules. Despite this, in the late 20th century coursing became a particular target for the anti-hunting movement, both at Altcar, where the Waterloo Cup became an annual confrontation, and in Westminster, where a series of bills designed to ban the sport were defeated. When the Hunting Act was passed in 2004, however, competitive coursing was awarded a whole section of its own which is draconian and illogical even by the standards of that much-derided law. It is, however, still legal to course rabbits, and dogs from the UK also travel to Ireland to take part in hare coursing events. The spirit of those Iranian ibex hunters lives on, and when the Hunting Act is repealed, greyhounds will surely run against each other on hares once again.
Visit www.greyhoundstudbook.co.uk
T I M B ON N E R is Campaigns Director for the Countryside Alliance. He has been writing about countryside sports for more than a decade
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FEATURE
CAMPAIGNS UPDATE
A year in campaigns
Its been a busy year for the Countryside Alliance campaigns team. Public Affairs Manager J E N N Y D U N N reflects on our highlights
Sick of no signal our push for mobile coverage

OUR CAMPAIGN for good mobile phone signal, wherever you are in the country, has been a huge hit. By teaming up with RootMetrics, who have developed a smartphone app that tests call performance, members of the public have been able to test any area of the country, with their data uploaded into a coverage map. The app was received with enthusiasm: nearly 100,000 samples of mobile phone reception continue to pour in each day. We also published a report, Sick of No Signal (available on our website), that was a hit at
party conferences and was endorsed by numerous MPs, Peers, MEPs, AMs and MSPs of all political persuasions. The report found, unsurprisingly, that those outside the UKs big cities are up to 4.5 times more likely to suffer failed calls on their mobile phones than those who live in the metropolises, and the team did many media interviews and briefings. Mobile signal should be a service as basic as water or electricity, and the nation agrees it is not good enough. We will keep the momentum going and the data will be used to create a true picture of UK phone reception in rural areas that we can use to lobby Government and phone companies. If you have not yet downloaded the app onto your smartphone or tablet just go to the iTunes app store or Google Play and download the free RootMetrics app.
in the countryside think the Governments efforts to bring broadband to rural areas have been poor, with only a quarter rating progress as good. Nearly three in 10 rural dwellers are dissatisfied with the speed of their broadband connection. We also sent Freedom of Information requests to all English councils and found that just 3 million out of a total budget of 650 million has been given out in grants to councils so far as part of the Governments Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) project. Our research is available on our website. The lack of progress of the Government broadband scheme has been
3 in 10 rural dwellers are dissatisfied with the speed of their broadband

criticised by the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee, and we have advised that the Government urgently review its BDUK project.
Demanding better broadband access

WE HAVE continued our campaign for better broadband coverage in the countryside. This year we have released numerous pieces of research on the topic. Polling conducted by ComRes on our behalf revealed that most people living
Fighting for fairer fuel prices

THE COUNTRYSIDE Alliance has long argued that higher fuel prices in rural areas hit motorists unfairly, not least because poor public transport makes driving a necessity. Countryside Alliance research shows that the rural commute is an average of 25% more expensive than the urban commute. So we welcomed the Chancellors decision to cancel the scheduled fuel duty rise in the Budget in March. We also welcomed the Government announcement that they are to seek permission from the European Commission to extend the fuel
100,000 samples of mobile phone reception come in each day
MENTIONS in PARLIAMENT
I have not always quoted with total approval from Alliance press releases, but on this matter it is entirely right. It says: The lack of mandatory country of origin food labelling continues to place British farmers at a disadvantage when much of their competition comes from producers in countries which are not subject to such robust animal welfare legislation. Barry Gardiner MP, Shadow Defra Minister in a parliamentary debate on horsemeat The Alliance has long called for the potential of farming and its by-products as a significant source of renewable energy to be harnessed as a way to boost our energy mix. Jim Shannon MP, in a debate on off-gas grid households Why does the Prime Minister believe that his plans to restrict lobbying are opposed by organisations from the Countryside Alliance, Oxfam and so on, right through to Conservative Home? Dame Margaret Beckett MP, former Secretary of State for Defra, asking a question during Prime Ministers Questions The Alliance believes it is important that there is competitive roll-out of broadband if the current problems of high prices and poor service in rural areas are to be overcome. Lord Stevenson of Balmacara, speaking on the Communications Committee Report on Broadband in the Lords The RSCPA needs to be careful that it does not move away from being an animal welfare organisation and becomes a political campaigner, using the state prosecuting system as a weapon to promote its political campaigns. Sir Edward Garnier QC MP, speaking in a debate on the RSPCAs role as a prosecutor
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CAMPAIGNS UPDATE
The rural commute is 25% more expensive than the urban commute
rebate scheme to other remote areas in the UK with higher fuel costs. Chief Secretary to the Treasury, The Rt. Hon. Danny Alexander MP, writes about his commitment to see the fuel rebate extended to other rural communities on page 43.
FEATURE
Hunting attracts newcomers

WE ARE NOW into another hunting season and we have been working hard in our campaign to make sure hunts are able to promote themselves and also attract new people to hunting. Hunting Newcomers Week in late October saw numerous hunts organise events for those keen to experience a days hunting. Meets and events were tailored to suit all ages and abilities. We put together a new online media and promotional pack to give advice to hunts when dealing with the media. The pack includes interview tips, press release writing tips and local newspaper contacts by region. This has already proved to be a very useful document during Newcomers Week, helping hunts to promote themselves and their activities.
NSW ran from 25 May to 2 June this year, offering a taste of the Olympic sports of clay pigeon and target shooting to the public. More than 70 shooting grounds around the country signed up to take part. Our campaign for lead shot continued with the publication of the Case for Lead, which presents the arguments for maintaining the use of lead shot and has been sent to all Parliamentarians. The Alliance has also joined forces with nine other organisations to defend lead shot. In July, the group launched a website to enable the public to sign up to the pledge to Use Lead Legally. The political team also met MEPs in Brussels and discussed lead shot as part of a wider European agenda. Our hunting hit of the year was our publication An Introduction to Fox Hunting. The document is designed to introduce the younger generation to hunting with hounds, specifically focused at targeting the secondary school age range. It had been very wellreceived in all forums, especially from teachers and at shows. Both packs are easily accessible on our website. For copies of An Introduction to Fox Hunting please contact Henrietta Rutgers at the Countryside Alliance at henriettarutgers@countryside-alliance.org.
The Game-to-Eat campaign goes from strength to strength

We produced An Introduction to Shooting booklet as part of our introduction to country pursuits series. The booklet explains types of shooting, the role of shooting and conservation, shooting seasons, gundogs, the law, the role of the gamekeeper, the different quarry species and the importance of eating game. Separately, our Game-to-Eat campaign goes from strength to strength with online recipes, our Shot for the Pot week in October and our roll-out of Indian game food. You can download the Case for Lead and An Introduction to Shooting from our website and also find details of our Use Lead Legally campaign. To order a booklet email Henrietta Rutgers at henriettarutgers@countryside-alliance.org
A busy year for shooting

IT HAS BEEN a busy year for shooting. We held our first National Shooting Week (NSW) Parliamentary reception, which was attended by Olympic shooting champion Peter Wilson, representatives from shooting grounds across the country and Parliamentarians.
Our hit of the year was our Introduction to Fox Hunting
MENTIONS in THE PRESS

Tim Bonner, campaigns director for the Countryside Alliance, said the RSPCA had minimal interest in prosecuting the clear animal cruelty exhibited in the programme. Daily Telegraph, January The Countryside Alliance has serious concerns about the proposed changes to legal aid, and the ability to access lawyers with a knowledge of wildlife and firearms legislation. Shooting Times, May An FOI request by the Alliance has shown that councils have struggled to gain public-sector funding and most match funding has now come from LAs and not the private sector. Technology websites, July Countryside Alliance says the charitys actions look extraordinarily hypocritical in light of its recent comments on other culls. Following our Freedom of Information request to The RSPB, The Guardian, June It lays bare an unprecedented relationship, giving a private organisation access to incredibly sensitive information that wouldnt be routinely shared with foreign police forces or available at border controls. Barney WhiteSpunner on the RSPCA, Daily Telegraph, August Originally it was going to be 92% of the 70,000 premises across the country with no signal. Now its only 75% at best. We dont think thats good enough. Campaigners challenge countryside mobile coverage plan, BBC, August Shooting and conservation interests are at risk and Countryside Alliance Wales said there was a lack of understanding of the countryside. Shooting Times, September
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IN PRAISE
IN PRAISE OF
FEATURE
of...
Mates for life: grey partridges stay together to bring up their young
The grey partridge

With both cock and hen working together to bring up their young, this bird has many laudable qualities, writes P R O F E S S O R
N ICK SOTHE RTON
ANY CONSERVATION organisations have their wildlife icons as their badge or logo of honour. The RSPB have their avocet, the Worldwide Fund for Nature have their giant panda and the Wildlife Trusts (well some of them) have their badger. The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust has the grey partridge, the iconic gamebird of British farmland and one-time gamebird of choice for nostalgic shooting people who still remember autumn stubbles full of grey partridge coveys. Born and educated in West London (within the sound of the M4) and far too young to remember such scenes, I was not subject to this heritage, but since starting work at the Trust, researching the insect food of young chicks, I have fallen in love with this smashing little bird. As a scientist, I realise it is entirely inappropriate to indulge in anthropomorphism about animals, giving them human characteristics and, worse still, names, but you cant help but admire this bird. Both the cock and the hen raise the chicks. This is understandable because grey partridge hens lay more eggs per clutch than any other British bird. The average is 13-16 but 18-20 are not uncommon. During incubation the cock bird is a constant sentinel, keeping watch over the hen while she sits on her eggs. He watches
IN THE BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE MANY GROUPS OF DEDICATED GREY PARTRIDGE FANS ARE WORKING HARD TO SET THE BIRD ON THE ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY
over her during those short, frantic periods when she comes off the nest to feed. A common purpose After hatching, both parents shepherd the chicks away from the nest in search of insect food. Both parents will point out the juiciest insects and work hard to keep the chicks safe. I once saw a huge covey of very young chicks cross a road, the hen in front, followed by a crocodile of uffy bodies, line abreast with a fussing cock bringing up the rear. When she saw me, the hen went straight into a wounded wing display to direct me away from the chicks. Come winter, the family group stays together as a unit, only breaking up when its time to form spring pairs. We seemed to respond to the national demise of this bird (numbers fell by 91% between 1967 and 2010) by inventing pheasant rearing. The pheasant, in contrast,
like many other hunted species, takes no part in rearing his own young. There I go, human attributes applied to birds. But what encourages me most is that out there in the British countryside there are still many groups of dedicated grey partridge fans working hard to halt their decline and set the bird on the road to national recovery. I thank the heavens for this dedicated group, especially when they return their grey partridge counts from their farms and estates to the GWCTs National Partridge Count Scheme (PCS) (www.gwct.org. uk/partridge). The PCS is a jewel in the crown of conservation. It provides advice, it gives positive feedback and encouragement to participants and, thanks to its many contributors (more than 1,000 members), it works. Picture the scene if you will, it is just after dawn on a sparkling autumn morning, the sun is on the backs of a covey of greys and they look magnicent. Subtle colours of orange and chestnut brown, camouaged striping that is set beautifully against the stubbles. Next to them a covey of red-legs, bright colours, a bit gaudy and ash no comparison, but there I go again shamefully unscientic!
Illustration: Mary Harris
P ROF E SS OR N IC K S OT H E RTON
is Director of Research at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
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Recipe of the quarter
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VALENTINE WARNER is a chef, best-selling cookery author and presenter of BBCs What to Eat Now
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Wild rabbit ragu with penne

Valentine Warner says: This is healthy wild meat the fields, woods and rivers coming to the plate in a wonderful way through the delicious taste of game. Find many other recipes for venison, grouse, pigeon, pheasant and partridge at www.gametoeat.co.uk
YOU WILL NEED For the ragu 1 wild rabbit, all meat cut from bones 3 tbsp olive oil 75g cubed smoked pancetta 1 medium carrot, scrubbed and finely grated 1 large stick of celery, washed then finely grated 1 medium onion, finely grated 3 cloves garlic, finely grated tsp dried chilli 1 tsp dried rosemary tsp nutmeg tsp cinnamon 1 bay leaf 4 tbsp tomato pure 1/3 tin chopped tomatoes 1 tsp white wine vinegar 200ml white wine 100ml water 1 thumb-size piece of parmesan rind To finish 175g penne pasta tsp salt Parmesan cheese PREPARATION METHOD In a medium sized saut pan heat the olive oil before adding the pancetta, it should sizzle gently when entering the pan. Cook it for five minutes before adding the grated vegetables, stir all together well. Add the spices and the bay leaf, then cook for a further five minutes before adding the rabbit with the tomato pure. Stir altogether for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. Put a lid on the pan and simmer very gently for an hour. Note: adding parmesan rind will give the ragu extra depth of flavour, but remove the rind before serving. Drop the penne pasta into boiling salted water and cook to your preference. Drain and mix the penne through the ragu, divide over four plates, adding a good grate of fresh parmesan, if liked. Serves four.
FOR MORE DELICIOUS GAME RECIPES VISIT WWW.GAMETOEAT.CO.UK
SHARE YOUR RECIPES WITH US

Do you have a recipe you would like to share with our readers? Please send it, with a photo, to news@countryside-alliance.org
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Young Alliance
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E M I LY C H U RC H I L L scooped third place in our Young Countryside Writer Competition. A farming enthusiast, Emily lives in Tiverton, Devon
{ FA R M I NG }
I love being my Grandads apprentice

With her passion for farming, E M I L Y C H U R C H I L L caught the attention of our Young Countryside Writer Competition judges. Here, she explains why farming is a year-round love
Farming family: Emily with her Grandad and his dog, Meg
nyone looking out into the countryside during the winter would not see cattle in the fields, tractors ploughing, combines harvesting and hear the noise of a silage forager, and they would think nothing happens on our farms during the winter. Im Emily, Im 13 years old and my Grandad is a farmer in the village of Chevithorne in beautiful Devon. Grandad has a mixed farm of beef, sheep, dairy and arable. Grandad learnt how to be a farmer from his father. My love of farming comes from being on the farm since I was a baby. I live in nearby Tiverton with my parents and brother. I have spent hours helping my Grandad. One day, I hope to have my own farm and Grandad can come and help me. School can often get in the way of what I like best which is being my Grandads apprentice. Its an even earlier start when Grandad is lambing. Our first job is to put all the ewes that have lambed during the night in the big barn, into smaller individual pens. I carry the lambs in the pen and the mother follows. Although sometimes the mother gets distracted so I make a bleating noise and she follows again. On occasions there have been ewes that needed assistance with lambing.
After breakfast, I go with Grandad in the tractor theres a special seat for me and Grandads dog, Meg
While Grandad has held the ewe still, I have put my hand inside and tried to pull the lamb out. I love it and there is nothing better then rubbing a newborn lamb with straw and watching it take its first breath and stand within minutes of being born. Then its feeding and watering all round. There is, of course, an orphan lamb to which I have grown attached. I have named it Minty and I feed this one with a bottle. Feeding time Next job is milking the cows. Clusters on and clusters off. This takes quite a while so I go off and feed the calves. When they see me they run up to the gate ready for their milk and I pour it into the calf feeder. Some calves are greedy and try to butt the others out of the way so that they can get more milk. I watch to make sure this doesnt happen and let them suck my fingers. I can feel their small teeth forming in their mouths.
I help shake the fresh straw into the pens and this makes the calves jump about with excitement. When a calf steps on your foot it can hurt! Often, we have newborn calves and these are fed with a bottle as they need special colustrum from their mother. This can be very tricky and takes real skill. There are machinery jobs that I cannot do, such as yard-scraping, strawchopping, corn-milling and feeding silage, but I am very useful for opening and shutting gates. After breakfast, I go with Grandad in the tractor theres a special seat for me and Grandads dog, Meg. While we are in the tractor, Grandad tells me funny stories. Meg often spots deer in the fields and she barks at them frantically. If we opened the tractor door I am sure she would try to chase them. But Im not sure she would know what to do if she caught one. Soon all the jobs start over again and this goes on day after day until the sun shines. I can assure anyone in doubt, during the cold, dark months of winter the farm is a very busy place.
INTRODUCTORY GUIDES
An Introduction to Fox Hunting and An Introduction to Shooting, are both free to download from the Alliances website
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PLEASE SEND emails to news@countryside-alliance.org and letters to Editor, Countryside Alliance magazine, 367 Kennington Road, London SE11 4PT
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Your letters
Send us your grassroots views
Campaigning for better broadband

I KNOW THAT your readers are concerned about the dismal roll-out of broadband across rural Britain. I know from my own constituency in rural County Durham that lack of coverage is serious and problematic, and I am completely in support of the Countryside Alliances campaign to improve broadband access for country-dwellers. The Public Accounts Committee is right to lambast the roll-out of rural broadband. It has been woefully mishandled. First, the Government scrapped Labours target to secure universal access to broadband by 2012. They announced a new target of rolling super-fast broadband out to 90% of households by 2015, but when the National Audit Office discovered they would deliver the project at least 22 months late, they pushed the target back to 95% by 2017. This failure is holding back those in the countryside who have so much to contribute to our economy. Analysts estimate that small- and medium-sized businesses could reduce their costs by 54% and boost their sales by 51% if they had access to the internet. The countryside is a beautiful place, but it is also a modern place and needs access to essential modern infrastructure. Labours vision for One Nation includes the countryside, and that is why I will continue to campaign for better broadband for as long as it takes. Labour would switch 75 million from the Super Connected Cities programme to digital inclusion. H E L E N G O O D M A N M P, Shadow Minister for Media and Communications
Wellness, friendship, fun and fishing

THANKS TO THE generosity of Alliance members, Casting for Recovery UK & Ireland has just completed its sixth year in operation. Providing all-expensespaid retreats for ladies who have, or have had, breast cancer and introducing them to fly fishing is a unique privilege. The positive effect the programme has is clear: friendships are formed, there is a focus on wellness and moving forward, and of course a chance to spend time in a beautiful location casting a fly. Our plans for 2014 include four retreats across the UK & Ireland and the chance to introduce many more brave ladies to our programme. To be able to offer some light relief, counselling and fly fishing to breast cancer sufferers is a wonderful way of using the countryside as a form of therapy. We know this is in keeping with the beliefs Countryside Alliance members hold dear. The Casting for Recovery team is delighted to show its appreciation by presenting
the Countryside Alliance with a plaque commemorating its ongoing support. S U E H U N T E R , National Director, Casting for Recovery UK & Ireland
Trying to agree a lower fuel duty for rural communities

AS A HIGHLANDER, I know that cars are a necessity for many Danny Alexander MP of your readers and people living in rural areas, yet they face some of the highest prices for fuel in the country. As a Government we have already cancelled a series of previously planned fuel duty increases, saving drivers 13p per litre. Last year we also introduced a 5p per litre cut in fuel duty for a number of remote island communities. But now I want to go further and extend the fuel rebate to rural areas on the mainland that suffer from high prices as well. However, European law means it is the European Commission who have the final decision on whether the existing scheme can be expanded to rural mainland communities. That is why we have used a series of strict and objective criteria to identify the mainland rural communities in our application to extend the scheme. It will not be easy to get this agreed with the EC, but I will do everything I can to make this happen for rural communities. T H E R T. H O N . DA N N Y A L E X A N D E R M P, Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Friendships are formed on Casting for Recovery retreats and plans are afoot for four more
QUOTES of NOTE
The Countryside Alliance in the news
Jamie Foster,
Solicitor Advocate, writing in the Western Morning News In the moral pantheon of the Criminal Law it falls somewhere between dropping litter and not paying your TV licence almost no-one is breaching the Hunting Act, which is maybe one more reason for repealing it.
David Profumo,
writing in the Daily Telegraph
Martin Clunes,
in the Western Daily Press
Barney WhiteSpunner on
our Countryfile magazine advert snub (see page 11)
I am going to send Fishing 4 Schools a donation, to help open a few more of those doors, and perhaps to procure a little extra contentedness. I hope you will do so too.
Whats really nice about this Harvest Festival is it tells children, and reminds us all, that theres a delicate balance. Our environment needs managing thats called farming and the more the children learn about that the better.
This is just another insult from the BBC urban elite to 11 million licence payers who live in the countryside.
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Out and about
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{ P H O TO G A L L E RY }
London Wine Auction

Photos: www.crewereadphotography.co.uk
Our annual London Wine Auction Dinner in October was another recordbreaking event, with the auction, sponsored by Roxtons Field Sports, raising over 180,000. The event hosted by Financial Times Miss Moneypenny, Heather Gregor, and our fantastic Wine Auction Committee at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, sold out six months before the night. The speaker was comedian and broadcaster Alexander Armstrong, who enjoyed the evening so much he has vowed to make up a table at next years event.
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1. Barney White-Spunner 2. Ian McGillivray and Philip Richards 3. James Hanbury & Dick Turpin 4. Amanda Wakeley 5. Willie Gething and Lord Margadale 6. Alexander Armstrong 7. Ida Levine and James Rutherford 8. Dinner was created by Word of Mouth and Yorkshire Game kindly supplied the venison 9. The London Wine Auction 2013 Chairman Heather McGregor 10. Auctioneer Duncan McEuen 11. Fortnum and Masons Classic English Cheese selection was an after dinner delight 12. Lucy Asprey 13. The London Wine Auction Dinner 11
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to advertise please call rachael Hesno on 0207 079 9366
Out and about

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Fishing 4 Schools
Photos by www.mangodays.co.uk
Our Fishing 4 Schools scheme uses angling as a teaching tool for secondary school pupils. Demand outstrips supply, so a campaign to raise 380,000 was kicked off with this fundraising dinner, held by the kind invitation of Mr and Mrs George Stephenson at Hurdcott House, Wiltshire. Guests helped raise nearly 60,000 with donations, an auction and a game that involved hooking luminous toy dolphins from a stream in the dark.
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1. Fishing 4 Schools supremo Charles Jardine 2. The auction 3. Jane Fraser (left) with Jingo Palamountain 4. Guy Rasch 5. Hoesli Labhart 6. Lucinda Green 7. The talented Anthony Clark 8. Lucy Gibbs, Cassie Brough, Hattie Roger-Smith and Pippa Chambers 9. Our host George Stephenson, Barney White-Spunner of the Countryside Alliance and auctioneer Humphrey Butler 10. Susannah Maitland Robinson with her two sons, Jo Maitland Robinson and Sam Maitland Robinson 11. Jeremy Quin, Chair of The Countryside Alliance Foundation 11
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Regional Events, Winter 2013

M O R E E V E N T S Our website carries a fuller events listing: www.countryside-alliance.org/ca/events
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Round-up of the countryside events you need to know about

WALES
Director, Rachel Evans rachel-evans@countrysidealliance.org 01550 777997/ 07825 337978 26 December Boxing Day Racing, Ffos Las. 28 December Welsh Grand National at Chepstow.
EAST
Regional Director, William Burton william-burton@ countryside-alliance.org 07738 959900 8 February Suffolk Game Dinner at Bruisyard Hall by kind invitation of the Rous Family. Tickets: info@bruisyardhall. co.uk or call 01728 639000, or order via the Alliance website. 28 February Inter Hunt Quiz, to be held at The Room in The Rodings. Tickets are 15 each, to include a ploughmans supper, licensed bar and raffle. Further details and tickets are available from William Burton.
A day with family appeal: countryside activities, have-ago areas for children, local food and a shopping village. Gates and shopping village open 9am, terrier racing 10am, hound parade 10.30am. First race at 12 noon. Picnics welcome! Alison Hawes on 01752 830430 or alison-hawes@ countryside-alliance.org
7 March Thrusters Ball at Botleigh Grange Hotel, Southampton, from 7pm-2am. Black tie, dinner of local produce, disco and lots of entertainment. Details alison-hawes@ countryside-alliance.org. Entry with ticket only. Strictly 18+. 22 & 23 March West Country Game Fair at Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6QN. 9am until 5pm. Details 01392 421500. 26 March Cornwall Auction of Promises at Scorrier House, 7.30pm. Lots include an original Daniel Crane, a days shooting, a villa for a week in Barbados, a Monica Vinader necklace and fine wine, champagne and whisky. To request a catalogue (bids taken in advance) contact Alison.
SOUTH EAST
Regional Director, Michelle Nudds michellenudds@countrysidealliance.org 01903 884179/ 07738 958894
22 December Countryside Alliance Christmas Derby Challenge, Lingfield Park. Lunch and ticket offer. Email countrysideraceday@countryside-alliance. org or call Michelle. 26 December King George VI Chase, Kempton Park Racecourse. 21 January Enjoy a fantastic full English breakfast at Bartholomew Barn, Petworth, for Farmhouse Breakfast Week. For full details contact Michelle Nudds. 22 February Shot for the Pot Curry Supper and Quiz Night in Arundel, West Sussex, hosted by the Countryside Alliance and Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution. Contact Michelle. 7 March Countryside Alliance Raceday Lunch on Grand Military Gold Cup Day, Sandown Racecourse. Join us for lunch and racing, sponsored by Charles Stanley Stockbrokers. Contact Michelle. South East Point to Points For 2014 fixtures and details of Point to Points in South East go to: www.pointingse.co.uk.
15 January Sporting Dinner with Sir Johnny Scott Hassop Hall, Derbyshire. Anecdotes from Sir Johnny and his views on country sports. Dinner and sporting auction. Black tie, 47pp, Email vef2@btinternet. com. Generously sponsored by Nigel Davis Solicitors of Belper www.agricultural solicitors.co.uk. 1 March Lancaster University Countryside Society Caledonian Ball at Lancaster Golf Club, including charity auction and raffle. 40pp, contact Catherine Bennett: countryside@lancaster.ac.uk. Black tie. In aid of the Alliance, the Addington Fund and Riding for the Disabled. 5 March Cheshire Inter Hunt Quiz night Audlem Village Hall, Audlem, Cheshire. 15pp, two-course supper, pay bar. Contact Susie Heap on 01270 620199 or susieheap@btinternet.com. 18 and 19 March National Restaurant and Bar Show Manchester Central. The Game-to-Eat campaign will sponsor Fine Food Village, creating a game village of butchers and game dealers for food sampling and promotion.
MIDLANDS
Regional Director, Sara Rutherford sararutherford@countrysidealliance.org 01380 831068/07974 141933 8 February Hawk Board Symposium, Lantra House Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, Warwickshire CV8 2LG. More information: 02476 696996. Book by 25 January. 28 February Thrusters Ball, Hatherley Manor Hotel GL2 9QA, 7pm2am, three-course game supper, terrier racing and other entertainment. Tickets 38. Details Sara Rutherford. 11-14 March Cheltenham Festival.
NORTHERN REGION
Regional Director, Simon Hamlyn simon-hamlyn@ countryside-alliance.org 01978 780144/ 07818 553635
29 January End of Season Game Supper, the Cholmondeley Arms nr Malpas, Cheshire. Telephone 01829 720300 or email info@cholmondeleyarms. co.uk. 25pp.
SCOTLAND
Director, Jamie Stewart jamie-stewart@countrysidealliance.org 07825 736903 7 & 14 December SCA award-winning Hopetoun Farm Shop, South Queensferry, is holding Christmas tasting events.
SOUTH WEST
Regional Director, Alison Hawes alison-hawes@ countryside-alliance.org 01752 830430/ 07710 836806
23 February Savills Countryside Alliance Point to Point at Badbury Rings nr Wimborne, Dorset.
BOXING DAY MEETS

Meets will be taking place on Thursday 26 December timings vary so please check www.mfha.co.uk for a meet listing. Support your local hunt at its Point to Point check for fixtures at www.pointtopoint.co.uk/fixture_list_2013.html
49
COUNTRYSIDE
My
CHARLIE JACOBYS
countryside is different to the cosy stereotypes portrayed in the mainstream media but no less vibrant, he explains
he British countryside that I find lying around the cupboard marked public imagination has roses over the door. It has cottagey plants in the beds in front of the whitewash delphiniums blue, geraniums red (never chrysanthemums yellow and white), a far-away peal of church bells, woodland and moorland below the sky and it still has a stream of enthusiastic foxhounds, happy horses and riders pricking oer the sward in the middle distance. It is a complicated Snaffles or Constable or BB woodcut. There is no lawnmower. Thats in the suburban section, along with Margo, Jerry and carwashing. The media version takes this, kneads in a lump of middle-class emotion, and turns it into Downton Abbey, Countryfile and The Archers. Here is a bright world of surprising angles, where some people kill their own ferrets, others have jobs as tearful maids and my grandfather complains that the guns are standing too close together or there is too much leaf on the tree. He did his shooting during the war, not the global
Charlie Jacoby is a sporting journalist and broadcaster with FieldsportsChannel.tv
warming. Like the public version, any frame from the medias My Countryside could be a picture postcard but, unlike the public version, it comes from a scriptwriters head. An urban scriptwriter, probably. A townie. Typical. I could whinge on about the My Countryside of the people who live here, too. We have rising fuel bills, dwindling
My Countryside is coloured by small events, many based around the insignificant movements of livestock and wildlife
broadband, and a dominating urban world around the corner that seems to be pleased to apologise to us via a recorded message. Happily, there are positives, most of them outdoors. My Countryside is a bit more Pevsner than the public one, coloured by small and unimportant social events (compared to the urban mighties), many based around the insignificant movements of livestock and wildlife. What bird or deer is coming out of that wood? Whats that horse doing in here? And where are my dogs? And then there is the My Countryside I get from my privileged position running Fieldsports Channel. If you have not come across it, this is a half-hour weekly TV show on YouTube about the best hunting, shooting and fishing. It started on 12 August 2009 with a film about a day shooting grouse in Perthshire and another on a day chasing rabbits in Essex with a cheetah. These are both versions of My Countryside that I had not, coming from a sheltered life in Somerset, previously tried. It is one of the problems of life beyond Nutbush City Limits. You are not just
Target audience: the channel focuses on hunting, shooting and fishing
sheltered. You can be nave, casually offensive without realising it, and ignorant. But My Countryside is also innocent and charming in a pre-atombomb way that, when its going well, feels a bit like a Surtees novel or Swallows and Amazons. I try to cherish that last part. Most politicians think My Countryside is insular. It is acceptable within the BBC to refer to foxhunters as swiveleyed loons (NFB not for broadcast). Well, heres why they are wrong. My Countryside my one has taken a turn for the international since 2009. In the last year alone, Fieldsports Channel has taken me rabbiting from an open-top Rolls-Royce in Texas, pheasant shooting in rural China, driving wild boar in Germany, bear hunting with hounds in California, and on a roo cull in Australia. Those are the headlines. The people I have met all have a My Countryside and the strangest thing is not only how similar it is to mine but how it could improve mine. The Chinese shooters enjoy their day walking the padis looking for game. They stop at collective farms where the workers are having lunch, they hand over a few pheasants and some money and join them. No need for a Game-to-Eat in China. And the German idea of a driven shoot is to have more stands than they need, you turn up on the day with your rifle, pay your cap and you get a stand. Its like shooting but with the random sociability and sense of small acts of kindness that you get at a hunt meet. With all of them, the party in the pub afterwards is top quality too. I think My Countryside is one of the reasons I used to be casually rude about foreigners. Now I am mainly rude about townies. The aim of Fieldsports Channel is to be the antidote to Countryfile.
GET INVOLVED The Fieldsports Channel started in 2009 and is a half-hour weekly TV show on YouTube about hunting, shooting and fishing. Fieldsports Britain is on every Wednesday at 7pm at www.fieldsportschannel.tv
50

Countryside Alliance 2013 Winter Magazine

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Countryside Alliance 2013 Winter Magazine

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C A M P A I G N S

Wildfowling Magic and mystery in the wetlands

Campaign success in 2013

Cheers! Toast Gower Brewerys Rural Oscars win

TRY A RABBIT RAGU RECIPE Page 39

FEATURES 12 Hunting and the Navy

37 In praise of the grey partridge

GET INVOLVED 39 Recipe of the quarter

Next year will see us continue to tackle threats to our sports

41 Young Countryside Alliance

24 Relaxing the Hunting Act?

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

M O R E N E W S Sign up for our regular Grass e-route newsletter: www.countryside-alliance.org/ca/grass-e-route

Round-up of the stories that matter to you

Welcome from our Executive Chairman

The RSPCAs bad year

The Archbishop of Canterbury declined to become an RSPCA vice patron

Labour attacks gun licensing

HUNTING IS OUR FAVOURITE LESSON

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

Doubts have been cast over new Scottish weapons controls

Fuller event listings on page 49

Scottish air weapon licensing update

Support your hunt at your local Pointto-Point.Visit www.pointtopoint.co.uk

WELSH ACCESS REVIEW SPARKS CONCERN

The Countryside Alliance meeting in Builth Wells

7 March: Sandown Countryside Race Day. Contact michelle-nudds @countryside-alliance.org

7 March: Thrusters Ball at Botleigh Grange Hotel, Southampton. alisonhawes@countryside-alliance.org

11-14 March 2014: The iconic Cheltenham Festival.

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

Research into the effects of fracking on the countryside is needed

FRACKING AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COUNTRYSIDE

Promotional pack helps hunts liaise with media

Game is the spicy story at the KT

The KT team with Barney White-Spunner

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

BE HONEST AND FAIR, AUNTIE

Supporting rural firms

MEP meets with SCA

Fieldsports future face

NO RISE IN FIREARMS LICENSING FEES

ECs firearms fudge

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

HUNT-CLASS: THE NAVAL CONNECTION

12 COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE | WINTER 2013

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE 13

The hunt-class minesweepers

14 COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE | WINTER 2013

Photos: HMS Ledbury Crest, www.shipcrest.com

Model example exemplified

The estate offers over 150 shooting days

COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE | WINTER 2013

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

Photos: Tim Bonner

Below the sea wall

COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE | WINTER 2013

The next generation of wildfowler

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

In the footsteps of Surtees

Photos: Georgina Cranston

20 COUNTRYSIDE ALLIAncE | WINtEr 2013

Convivial hosts: the Grove & Rufford meet on a farm in Nottinghamshire

WINTER 2013 | COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE 21

M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N www.gowerbrewery.com Follow on Twitter @GowerBrewery

20 COUNTRYSIDE ALLIAncE | WINtEr 2013

COUNTRYSIDE ALLIAncE | WIntEr 2013