Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, will launch the Country Land and Business Association’s, (CLA) national campaign against hare-coursing this week.
Graham will be joined by the CLA, a representative from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, the Holderness Farm Watch co-ordinator, the specialist Rural Crime police officer, East Riding of Yorkshire Councillors and local farmers.
Graham Stuart MP said;
“Hare-coursing is not only against the law itself, but the lawbreakers who travel into rural areas to carry it out leave a trail of devastation behind them. We need to make the countryside a no-go area for these criminals.”
“Farmers find stock disturbed, their crops ruined, fences broken, and farm equipment stolen. Despite the difficulties of policing rural areas, Humberside Police has a good record in catching and prosecuting these offenders, having specially trained rural crime officers, and an expert rural crime solicitor in the Crime Prosecution Service.”
“I applaud the CLA for focussing on this issue and bringing it to the national stage. I will do all I can to help stamp out this unacceptable crime.”
Hare-coursing is a rural crime where two dogs are used to chase a hare. Those involved trespass on land to film the dogs zig-zagging after the hare, and the course is over when one of the dogs turns the hare, or catches and kills it.
Criminals use their films in illegal betting dens. Punters bet on how many zig-zags the dogs make before turning the hare. The illegal betting can run into tens of thousands of pounds.
Not only is it illegal to take part in hare-coursing and the associated illegal betting, but the criminals who travel to the rural and flat areas suitable for hare-coursing, such as East Yorkshire, often commit other crimes while they are here – they trample crops and disturb stock, break down fencing and have been known to return later to commit other offences such as theft of machinery.
The effects on the livelihood of farmers form the focus of the CLA campaign, which not only calls for legislative change but aims to educate and inform rural residents on what to do if they come across illegal hare-coursing.
Well done Graham Stuart for this initiative I applaud you and will support it. We have however, corresponded on the matter of chasing ALL animals with dogs. You have stated you are pro hunt. I cannot fathom this inconsistency in your approach to which animal is torn apart after a terrifying chase except in terms of class tribalism which I had hoped had been consigned to history. Conservatives taking such an approach based on allegiance to class are only stoking the fires of class tribalism In the likes of Jeremy Corbyn, what a pity.
Great. A bit strange though given his support for fox hunting. Trail hunting is too often merely a sham for continued and illegal fox hunting. Sort that support out Graham or it will bite again like it did at the last election.
and fox hunting, legal or otherwise doesn’t leave the land devastated ?