England and Wales Plan to Ban Trail Hunting Under New Animal Welfare Strategy
England and Wales are planning to ban trail hunting as part of a new government animal welfare strategy set to be published on Monday.
Trail hunting, which involves laying an animal-scent trail for dogs to follow with hunters on horseback, has been legal since the 2004 Hunting Act because it does not explicitly involve killing.
The government has stated that trail hunting is used as a smokescreen for hunting wild animals and reaffirmed its manifesto commitment to banning the practice. Details of the planned ban will be consulted on in the new year.
The 2004 Hunting Act currently bans using dogs to hunt wild mammals across England and Wales but treats trail hunting as an exemption. Scotland has already banned trail hunting, while Northern Ireland still allows hunting with dogs.
Data cited by an anti-hunting group revealed 1,600 incidents and 397 reports of foxes being chased during the last hunting season.
Reactions to the proposed ban include criticism from the Countryside Alliance, which described it as an unnecessary political focus and highlighted the importance of trail hunting to rural communities. The British Hound Sports Association echoed concerns about its significance to the rural economy and wellbeing. A farmer also warned that public rejection of hunting could lead to social shunning.
Minister for animal welfare Baroness Hayman confirmed that the manifesto promise to ban trail hunting would be implemented and that a consultation to seek views would take place in the new year.
