The RSPCA has agreed to pass on prosecutions to the police following the Wooler review which called for the charity to modify its approach to hunting cases.

The RSPCA’s ruling council agreed last week that it would pass cases that involve traditional hunts to the police and Crime Prosecution Service (CPS) to prosecute, following an initial investigation to determine the quality of evidence.

However, trustees have agreed to reserve the right to proceed with investigations if the police of CPS do not choose to take the matter up.

The Wooler review, which was led by former chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate Stephen Wooler and was released in October 2014, contained 30 recommendations for the charity to take into account. It proposed that the RSPCA modify its own approach to hunting cases in favour of one that seeks to place more reliance for enforcement “where it belongs”, with the police and CPS.

The review had concluded that the charity should assist in the building up of cases for presentation to the police and CPS, and only prosecute in the “event of a manifest failure by the public authorities to act”.  

David Bowles, the RSPCA’s assistant director of external affairs, said: “We have listened to Stephen Wooler and have acted on his recommendation to adopt a clear policy on how we deal with cases specifically against traditional hunts.”

He added: “We will still investigate other individuals for alleged breaches of the Hunting Act, and we have successfully used the Act previously to prosecute offenders with no hunt connections who have used their dogs to torture and terrorise wild animals.”

Trustees at the RSPCA Council meeting last week also agreed to the introduction of new processes in relation to two other areas which were recommended by Wooler. In cases involving animal sanctuaries, the RSPCA will “introduce a process whereby prosecution decisions are reviewed internally by the head of prosecutions and the chief legal officer before any proceedings are instituted”.

Trustees also agreed that the RSPCA will continue to investigate farm animal cases, but cases involving serious welfare breaches will be referred to Trading Standards or Animal Health. Again, if they decline to take up the matter, the RSPCA would reserve the right to institute proceedings itself.

The RSPCA said it is continuing to work through the other recommendations made in the Wooler review and has undertaken to report on its progress 18 months after the publication of the findings.

RSPCA: Government is reintroducing ‘fox hunting through the back door’

The RSPCA yesterday condemned the government’s attempts to “dupe the public and controversially reintroduce fox hunting through the back door”. It says that given the go-ahead the use of a statutory instrument to diminish the Hunting Act would most likely result in the reintroduction of fox hunting across both England and Wales - which the RSPCA strongly opposes.

It is encouraging people to contact their MPs to ensure that “they stand up to this threat and vote against the move to dilute the Act”.

The RSPCA has, in the past, been criticised for “political lobbying”.