Campaigners hit out at Chris Packham for supporting council’s hunt ban vote

WAR of words has erupted over a Boxing Day hunt after countryside campaigners accused TV naturalist Chris Packham of inciting division and spreading misinformation.

- by LEWIS CLARKE

The clash comes in the wake of a controversial Tiverton Town Council vote to declare the annual meet of the Tiverton Foxhounds “not welcome” in the town - a symbolic gesture widely seen as a blow to hunting supporters, even though the event is still expected to go ahead on Friday, December 26.

The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) and Countryside Alliance have now publicly hit back, defending trail hunting as legal, regulated and vital for rural life.

The motion before the council on November 17, was brought by Lift councillor Tony Wheeler and stated: “The government has recently committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting. The government minister for Defra has stated that consultation seeking views on how to deliver a full ban will be held early next year, about 2026. The council resolves that the hunt meet is not welcome in Tiverton on Boxing Day or any other day’