A RECORD number of hunt supporters took part in what animal activists insist will be their final Boxing Day meet.

In what has become almost as much of a tradition as the Christmas meet itself, mounted huntsmen and women around the country rode nonchalantly past rows of animal rights campaigners who held placards calling for the Government to honour its pledge to ban hunting with hounds.

The Countryside Alliance claimed that 275,000 supporters had turned up at about 350 meets, an increase of 10 per cent compared with last year. A spokesman said about 200 registered packs of foxhounds and 100 packs of hare hounds took part in foxhunting, drag hunts and hare hunting.

Thousands of demonstrators, many waving banners reading “Outfoxed, outdated, outvoted”, protested at the events, claiming that it was the last Boxing Day meet before the Government finally honoured its promise of a ban.

Protesters believe that the Government is preparing to force legislation banning foxhunting on to the statute books, even though such a move was not mentioned in the Queen’s Speech.

Both pro and anti-hunting groups claim the Government’s recent announcement that the issue will soon be resolved gives succour to their own cause.

A Countryside Alliance spokesman yesterday insisted: “This isn’t the last Boxing Day hunt — that’s been suggested ever since Labour came to power. We are still hunting now and will be hunting in another 70 years’ time. It could include some form of hunt licensing.”

A League Against Cruel Sports spokeswoman was adamant that such meetings would soon be illegal.

“This was the penultimate Boxing Day hunt. We are confident the Government will keep its promise to use the Parliament Act to ban it. Once that starts there will be a 13-month wait for the Act to be officially enacted.”

Hunt supporters have raised a £2 million fighting fund in the hope that the courts will be able to block any chance of such a new law.

The money was collected in just six months and will be used to bring a test case in an attempt to establish in law that people who go foxhunting are not cruel.

Ian Harris, 66, who rides with the Tiverton Foxhounds and Culmstock Minkhounds in Devon, was overwhelmed with cash after placing an advertisement in Horse and Hound magazine in the summer. The advert read: “Cruel are you? Do you delight in others’ pain, are you inhuman or barbaric, pitiless, hard-hearted even? If you hunt, shoot or fish, certain individuals and organisations publicly call you cruel.

“You may feel your good name and reputation is being damaged by these statements. The law provides a remedy. This remedy may have far-reaching effects.”

Mr Harris received more than 26,000 calls from people hoping that a successful court case would undermine attempts in Parliament to ban hunting with hounds.

Animal rights campaigners welcomed the challenge and insisted that any legal action would be defended on the grounds of fair comment and the argument that no single defendant has been clearly identified.

Mr Harris said: “The money is available and this is now a waiting game. I know the anti-hunt lobby has been somewhat scared by what I am proposing to do. “We are ready to sue two people at the top of the anti-hunting tree. We want a definitive judgment which will establish the precedent that people cannot use the word cruel in the context of hunting.

“I am not cruel and none of the people who I hunt with could be considered cruel, and so it is wrong that they should be described in this way by the opponents of hunting.

“If anyone calls me cruel then they are going to have to prove it, which is going to be extremely expensive both in terms of money and because of the loss of political capital.

“My action is not in support of hunting, shooting or fishing, it is in support of my right to do it and specifically in defence of my reputation.”

Peter Anderson, a League Against Cruel Sports spokesman, said: “Hunting is cruel and we will stand by that comment. We believe the cruelty of hunting is a reason why it should be banned.

“This man has obviously got a significant amount of money to throw at us and if he has nothing better to spend it on then we will see him in court. We thank him for giving us the opportunity to emphasise that hunting is cruel and has no place in modern Britain.”

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