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Relevant extracts regarding hunting from The Blair Years - 2007
“Tony Blair was still banging on about hunting. The Tories thought he was being very clever and cunning. In fact he was agonising because he did not feel comfortable about the position he was in. You could argue that we would never win the support of most of those who opposed our position, but that we would lose a stack of support if he tried to shift the position back. But he didn’t like doing things he didn’t instinctively feel were right. Anji (Hunter) was as ever whispering in his ear what all her right-wing friends were saying, and the whole thing was unsettling him. Peter Mandelson was pressing for us to go to Northern Ireland tomorrow. Maybe he wanted to miss the hunting vote too.”
Alastair Campbell
Tuesday 16th January 2001

Welcome to the MFHA website

The Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) represents 174 packs of foxhounds that hunt in England and Wales and a further 10 in Scotland.

This will help you find out more about your local hunt and foxhunting in general - What it is - Where it happens - How you can take part or have a look.

There are links to to other important sites which include insights into all the key issues - Animal welfare - Jobs - Social and cultural - Pest control as well as a range of other subjects.

The use misuse and abuse of science in support of the Hunting Act

This carefully compiled document - a collaboration between the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Managment and the All Parliamentary Middle Way Group - comprehensively puts the scientific record straight in respect of the hunting debate and demonstrates that there are not and never were any scientific grounds for banning hunting on the grounds of cruelty.

Please use this link to visit the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Managment to download a PDF version of the document.

About the MFHA

The Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) represents 174 packs of foxhounds that hunt in England and Wales and a further 10 in Scotland.

The MFHA has strict rules and codes of conduct that have been specially written to promote standards of best practice both in the Kennels and in the Field and to prove the accountability of their member packs.

All Masters of the MFHA have to agree to abide by the Association’s rules, codes of conduct and instructions.

The MFHA undertakes a rolling programme of Kennel visits which are carried out by respected and appointed individuals on a regular cycle in order to ensure that all the rules are adhered to and standards are maintained.

There are considerable sanctions available to the MFHA which include disqualification of any member hunt or individual.

Woodland managed for foxhunting

“ The area of woodlands managed for foxhunting in England and Wales is 23,300 hectares. This figure is roughly double the area of woodland within the boundaries of National Nature Reserves in England and Wales” GCT July 2002

Why manage wildlife?

The well being of the species as a whole that has to be weighed against any adverse welfare consequences of culling procedures to the individual.

Impact of a ban

“If hunting was subject to a ban, I have little doubt that at least an equivalent number of foxes, deer and hares would be killed by other methods. The number of deaths is not likely to be reduced by banning” Lord Burns, House of Lords, 12th March 2001