Is fox hunting really an effective form of pest control? Is there any good argument for allowing it?

A traditional fox-hunt gets underway (Getty)

Theresa May's announcement that she has "always been in favour of fox hunting" and that the next Parliament would hold a free vote under a Conservative Government has put the contentious issue back in the spotlight.

One argument often put forward in favour of fox hunting is that it is a good way to control a 'pest'.

But is this, in fact, true?

1. Is fox hunting an effective form of pest-control?

   The traditional red-jacketed riding hunts are not effective forms of pest control.

   The 2000 Lord Burns report, commissioned by the then Labour Government before the ban on fox hunting was introduced, concluded that the “overall contribution of traditional fox hunting, within the overall total of control techniques involving dogs, is almost certainly insignificant in terms of the management of the fox population as a whole”.

   It added that hunting with dogs “in its various forms” did result in the deaths of a “substantial proportion” of foxes but shooting had a “a much greater capacity to reduce fox populations”.

   And, to an extent, both sides of the fox-hunting debate agree that riding to hounds is not about trying to rid an area of a ‘pest’.

   As the League Against Cruel Sports puts it: “The suggestion that fox hunting is about ‘pest control’ can be dismissed very quickly by the fact that hunts have been caught capturing and raising foxes purely so they can then be hunted.

   “In May 2015, a League investigation revealed 16 terrified fox cubs held captive in a barn linked to a fox hunt in Yorkshire.

   “We rescued them, took them to a vet, and sadly one died, but we released the others to safety. We are proud to have protected those foxes.

   “While the scale of this fox ‘factory’ was shocking, it’s not an isolated case.”

   Tim Bonner, chief executive of the pro-fox-hunting Countryside Alliance, put it rather differently, but made the same basic point that riding hunts are not about trying to reduce the fox population.

   He said the pest control argument against riding hunts in lowland England was a ‘straw man’ — a fake argument in favour of something that can be easily defeated. It was, he claimed, actually a form of conservation.

   “Fox hunters are obsessed by foxes and they have huge respect for them,” he said.

   “They think hunting, in its proper format, is the best way to maintain a healthy fox population and they are more likely to catch ones that are diseased and ill and that it’s generally a good thing for the quarry species.

   “In many areas of lowland England, the fox had a status that was protected by hunting. In Leicestershire, it’s the county emblem and the football club’s emblem.

   “Fox populations were managed at a level that was acceptable to farmers.

   “The fox is much worse off as a result of the ban as it has no status so gamekeepers and farmers will just shoot every one they see.

   “[Before the ban] the fox had a status and they [gamekeepers etc] would want the hunt to operate and if you eliminate the foxes, there’s no job left for the hunt.”

   He said it was different in upland sheep-farming areas, where farmers would walk into the hills with dogs to find and then shoot foxes. This, Mr Bonner said, was largely about keeping the population as low as possible.

   The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals dismisses the argument that fox hunts kill off the weakest animals.

   “This is nonsense. Hounds will pick up the scent of any fox they happen upon during the hunting season regardless of their health,” it says.

2. Are foxes pests?

   The National Farmers Union, which does not take a position on fox hunting, says it “understands the need for farmers to control foxes on their land, particularly during the lambing season”.

   Foxes can also “get in the hen house”, as the saying goes, and will sometimes kill more chickens than appears to be necessary. Some portray this as wanton killing, while others suggest the fox would have been planning to return to carry off the other dead birds later before being scared off by a human.

   The League Against Cruel Sports points out that an electric fence can keep out foxes and “while sheep farmers may curse foxes for the loss of their lambs, in reality studies have shown that poor farming practices, disease and bad weather are far more likely to lead to lamb deaths”.

   And the campaign group suggested some farmers at least should be grateful to the fox.

   “A 2000 study in Scotland found that around just one per cent of lamb losses could be directly attributed to foxes,” it said. “On the other hand, by feeding on rabbits, a 2003 study estimated that rural foxes save British crop farmers around £7m per year.”

3. Is fox hunting cruel?

   This is a matter of opinion, although few humans would choose it as a way to die.

   The RSPCA says: “You don’t need to be a scientist to know that chasing a mammal, often to the point of exhaustion and allowing a pack of dogs to rip it apart, in the name of ‘sport’, is inhumane.

   “A study of post-mortem examinations of foxes killed by hounds above ground [indicated] that the animals died from profound trauma inflicted by multiple dog bites rather than a ‘quick bite to the neck’.

   “The study showed that in many cases foxes are disemboweled first. The Burns Report also concluded that hunting with dogs causes animal suffering both during the latter stages of the chase and at the kill.”

   But, according to the Masters of Foxhounds Association & Foundation in the US, “many fox hunters believe that some foxes undoubtedly enjoy the chase”.

   “This may sound farfetched, but it is true that on certain days, it appears, some foxes play with the hounds almost teasing them by backtracking and circling past their dens when they could easily go to ground,” its website says.

   “Foxes have been seen to stop and hunt mice or birds while hounds are chasing them.

   “As humans we should not presume to understand what the fox thinks. We can only say that experience has shown that a fox often seems to be under little stress.

   “When the fox does choose to run, he gives us the opportunity to observe one of Earth's great predators demonstrating his finest skills.”

4. What does the public think of fox hunting?

   A poll in December 2016 found 84 per cent of the public did not want fox hunting to be legal.

   And the RSPCA says this reflects a long-standing view.

   “The vast majority of the British public support the Hunting Act (typically 70 to 80 per cent) and the UK has some of the most progressive animal welfare laws in the world. This reflects the public consciousness of compassion towards animals,” it says.

   “A repeal of the Hunting Act would not only give a green light to resuming fox deer and mink hunting, hare hunting and coursing, it would also allow those who use terriers and lurchers to fight and kill foxes, deer, hares and mink.

   “150 years ago other cruel sports such as bear baiting, bull fighting and dog fighting were legal in Britain. No one would suggest now that those cruel sports be legalised again and we believe the same is true of hunting with packs of dogs — nobody has the right to be cruel to animals.”