Two masters of the Quorn have been suspended from the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) for “bringing hunting into disrepute” following an enquiry into an incident on 18 March.
Hounds and three mounted hunt personnel were seen carrying out hound exercise on land owned by one of the masters concerned near Oakham in Rutland, during lockdown, and subsequently reported to the MFHA.
The MFHA has released a statement, which says: “Following the outcome of an enquiry into mounted hound exercise which took place on 18 March, two masters of the Quorn Hunt have been suspended from the MFHA.
“An enquiry held by an independent disciplinary panel of the MFHA concluded that although there was no evidence of any illegal activity, the actions of those involved had seriously damaged the reputation of hunting and had not been in line with the responsible way in which the hunting community has conducted itself during the Covid pandemic. As a result, one master has been suspended from the MFHA for two seasons while another has been suspended for a period of six months.
“The enquiry panel also made recommendations to the Quorn Hunt relating to the actions of hunt staff.”
Hunting Office director Alice Bowden said: “We are pleased to have dealt with this matter quickly and robustly. The MFHA enquiry panel worked efficiently and thoroughly to produce a clear report on their findings. The panel has given recommendations, which have been communicated to those involved and which we fully support.”
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The Hunting Office is the central organisation delegated to run the administrative, advisory and supervisory functions of the hunting associations, which are the governing bodies of the different types of hunting.
The MFHA is the governing body for registered packs of foxhounds that hunt within the law in England, Wales and Scotland. On behalf of the MFHA, the Hunting Office undertakes to run the administrative, advisory and supervisory functions and implement the governance of the hunting associations.
The MFHA has a number of accepted policies and documents in place, such as strict rules and codes of conduct, which give details of how hunts and hunting should be conducted. They have been written to promote standards of best practice in kennels and the field and to show the accountability of member packs.
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