England and Wales are set to ban trail hunting as part of a new animal welfare strategy from the government. This refers to an animal-based scent trails laid out for a dog to follow as opposed to a real animal, with a group of hunters following the dogs on horses. It has been legal since the 2004 hunting ban came into effect as it does not necessarily involve killing an animal.
The government says it is working on a manifesto pledge to outlaw the practice, which it said had been used as a “smokescreen” for hunting wild animals. But countryside and hunting organisations say it could harm rural communities.
In 2004, the Hunting Act placed restrictions on hunting with hounds, banning the use of dogs to hunt wild mammals such as foxes, hares, deer, and mink in England and Wales. Trail hunting would involve laying a trail by using a rag soaked in the scent of an animal for a hound to follow. The intention is to mimic the pursuit of an animal in the countryside without killing anything.
However, in April, anti-hunting campaigners such as the League Against Cruel Sports said that nearly 1,600 incidents were recorded, including nearly 400 reports of foxes being chased during the prior hunting season.
Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said that it is “completely unnecessary” to revisit the issue. “It is unbelievable that the government wants to waste more parliamentary time on hunting,” he said. “This issue was settled 20 years ago as far as Labour was concerned but it does not seem to be able to leave it alone.”
Minister for animal welfare, Baroness Hayman reiterated the party’s manifesto. “We said we would ban trail hunting,” she said, “and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
“There are concerns that trail hunting is being used a smokescreen for the hunting of wild animals, and that’s not acceptable. We are working out the best approach to take the ban forward and will run a consultation to seek views in the new year.”
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