The government has launched a public consultation into a proposed trail hunting ban in England and Wales. Trail hunting was introduced following the Hunting Act 2004 as an alternative to foxes being pursued by hounds and employs an rag that carries the scent of an animal. A ban was part of Labour’s manifesto for the 2024 election.
The RSPCA as well as other animal campaigners have said that the scents are usually detected by packs instead, adding that the practice is a “smokescreen” to hide fox hunting from some groups.
The Countryside Alliance on the other hand has called a proposed ban “unnecessary, unjustified and unfair,” adding that it poses a risk to jobs and the local businesses that hunters support. It claims that countryside hunting provides £100 million every year to the rural economy.
As well as the RSPCA however, other animal welfare groups have long called for a trail hunting ban. The League Against Cruel Sports has welcomed the consultation.
A ban would allow “the courts and police to tackle persistent and prolific illegal hunting,” chief executive, Emma Slawinski said. “For more than 20 years, hunts have carried on breaking the law and ignoring the ban on chasing and killing wild animals with dogs,” she said, calling it a “pivotal moment for animal welfare.”
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