A quick overview
Since the Labour Government was elected in July 2024, it committed to taking action to ban “trail hunting”.
While the Hunting Act 2004 banned the hunting of wild mammals for sport, fox hunting continued under the guise of “trail hunting”. For the last twenty years, hunt saboteurs and monitors caught hunts chasing and killing, over and over again, proving that the law was not working. Some hunts ended up with convictions, but most didn’t. Stag, hare, mink and otter hunting also continued.
We were pleased to see that a ban on trail hunting is included within the Govdernment’s wider Animal Welfare Strategy, published on 22 December 2025.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-welfare-strategy-for-england/animal-welfare-strategy-for-england
Before bringing forward legislation, Defra (the department responsible for the new legislation) will be launching a public consultation on this issue. It is a PUBLIC consultation, so we all need to take part.
The consultation itself is straightforward and should not take long to complete.
Action Against Foxhunting will be responding to the consultation as an organisation as soon as it opens. Our response will be carefully considered and practical, as always. You will be able to view our answers here [link to come]. We have also been in discussion with other anti-hunting organisations to understand their positions, so that our responses are broadly aligned.
You may find it helpful to read through our answers before submitting your own response.
While we are very happy to share our expertise and for others to draw on our answers if useful, individual responses carry particular weight, and we strongly encourage you to submit your own if you are able.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
