CA seeks support from hunts

A costly membership driveby the Countryside Alliance has had “disappointing” results, chief executive Richard Burge told the organisation’s AGM last week.

Despite spending more than £1.5m on membership costs and organising its most high-profile campaigning activityever in the shape of last September’s March, the organisation has attracted little more than 10,000 extra members.

While some hunts and shoots and even some fishing clubs ask their subscribers to become members of the alliance, Burge expressed concern that many still do not.

Sam Butler, chairman of the Campaign for Hunting, commented that this was a matter for the Masters of Foxhounds Association and would be discussed further.

MFHA director Alastair Jackson said: “We would certainly be prepared to look at this, although in previous discussions it was not considered appropriate for alliance membership to be mandatory.

“All MFHs must be members, however, and we strongly recommend that subscribers are – many hunts already make this a condition of accepting a subscription.”