The Jack Boot of the State vs. Rural Jobs

I'll fight on to Save the Hunt. Aug 2, 2005

By Sarah Probert, Rural Affairs Reporter, ic Birmingham.co.uk

Britain's longest serving huntsman has vowed to fight for his future despite losing a High Court challenge claiming the ban on hunting with hounds infringed his human rights.

Roger Bigland, a terrier man with the North Cotswold Hunt, who will lose his livelihood if the Government ban is not overturned, said he feared the worst following the decision but vowed to appeal against it.

The 61-year-old, from Evesham, Worcestershire, was one of ten claimants who saw their case for a judicial review dismissed by the High Court last week.

The Countryside Alliance, which is backing the claimants, said it would be appealing against the ruling.

Mr Bigland, who has been hunting for 41 years, said: "We are the people that are in the countryside, we are the people dealing with the problem, and we know that we are right.

"We are intending to fight, fight and fight until we get it overturned."

Mr Bigland said the judges had admitted the claimants' human rights were contravened by a ban and accepted that if a total ban remained there was going to be a substantial effect on rural life.

The Countryside Alliance is awaiting a final ruling on its first challenge, which argues that the 2004 Act is unlawful because the Parliament Act 1947, under which it was forced on to the statute books despite the opposition of the Lords, is not a lawful statute itself.

That claim was thrown out by the High Court and the Court of Appeal, and is now awaiting a judgment from the House of Lords in the autumn.

As a terrier man, Mr Bigland liaises with farmers and the hunt to find out where foxes may be causing problems.

Despite fears for the future of hunting, Mr Bigland is continuing as normal and preparing the countryside for the hunting season, which begins after harvest in September.

With the ban in place, hunts have been continuing to operate in a number of ways, either by riding out to exercise the hounds or destroying foxes by shooting them.

However, it is unclear how long they will continue operating if all appeals to overturn the ban are dismissed.

"It doesn't look good for anyone in my sort of job. If the case in the House of Lords goes against us, I think there will have to be a lot of hounds put down.

"There would be a greater reduction in the number of horses kept. I am very lucky at the moment that my masters are keeping me going until every avenue has been tried," Mr Bigland said.

The North Cotswold Hunt held an open day at its kennels at the weekend which attracted a record number of visitors. "We had more support than we had in the last 20 years, they all wanted us to go on," Mr Bigland added.

The hunt plans to lay off three of its four staff and keep just ten of its 40 hounds if the hunting ban is not overturned.