The Basics
The Government is consulting the public on how to go about banning trail hunting, an activity that time and again ends up killing animals. If you want the killing to stop as much as we do, read the WHOLE OF THIS PAGE for pointers on the easiest way to submit your views. After that, please explore the links for our suggestions on what to say.
The Government has committed to banning “Trail Hunting”. “Trail Hunting” is the smokescreen the hunts have used to continue hunting wild mammals with dogs despite the ban. The government has published a consultation for all of us to fill in, to tell them how to go about the ban. We have looked at all the questions and produced answers to all of them. You can use our answers yourself, or if you prefer, work out your own answers using our advice.
This consultation is NOT asking for your opinion on whether trail hunting should be banned. The Government has already made that decision – they ARE going to ban it. This consultation is asking us HOW to ban it. It is important to remember that what we really need is for FOX HUNTING, STAG HUNTING, MINK HUNTING, HARE HUNTING AND OTTER HUNTING TO BE BANNED PROPERLY, WITH NO LOOPHOLES AT ALL.
Any issues, please email Pip on info@actionagainstfoxhunting.org.
How to use this guidance
Before clicking on ANYTHING, read all of this through first. ⬇️ It’ll be much, much easier if you know what you’re doing.
1) Firstly, get your head around the Consultation, by having a look at the “PDF of the Whole Thing”.
2) Then, have a read through of our advice on our “QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS“. Click on the question and the answer will drop down.
3) If you want to read a detailed version of our answers (again to form your own answers) please read “AAF’s Complete Advice”.
4) Once you know what you are doing, you’re ready to fill in the Consultation.
If you can, have both the Consultation, and this page open side by side on your device. Difficult on a phone, and much easier on a laptop.
By far the best way of completing the Consultation is for you to look at our advice on “Questions and Answers”, decide whether you want to take it or not, and THEN fill in the answer in your own words. This is because the Government will count all identical responses as one response, so if you copy and paste (and several hundred others have done the same thing) your response might not get much of a look-in.
Start by completing your personal details (questions 1 – 6). THEN, refer to our “Questions and Answers” (they start at Question 7) to read our advice and use it to answer the questions on the Consultation.
You CAN copy and paste our answers into the answer boxes on the Consultation if you have no other choice.
You could also email AAF’s answers to Defra as a whole – and not fill in their form at all. Once again, it’ll be a standard response, and not as weighty as an individual one. Our “Complete Advice” can be found below. It is a longer version of our “Questions and Answers” and it is much the same as AAF’s official response. You could (maybe) ask AI to summarise it for you, and send that – but not without checking it through first, to make sure it reflects your own opinions. Here is the email address to send it to:TrailHuntingConsultation@defra.gov.uk.
The Consultation closes on 18th June 2026. Put the date in your diary – and don’t miss it.
NOW YOU CAN CLICK ON THE LINKS AND PDFs ETC. ⬇️
Questions and Answers
Question 8 Our proposed ban on trail hunting would mean that it would be an offence to engage or participate in trail hunting. We also intend to include offences for conduct which would assist unlawful trail hunting to take place. What types of conduct should be covered by ‘engagement’ or ‘participation’ in trail hunting?
A range of activities associated with trail hunting should be prohibited, including the use of terriers, searching areas where wild mammals live, and the involvement of foot followers who assist hunts. Hunts should not take hounds into wildlife habitats, allow them to stray from trails, or lose control of them.
Practices that enable or conceal hunting—such as using horn calls, blocking observers, hunting in restricted areas, trespass, and misleading public events—should also be banned. Additional concerns include artificial earths, off-lead hound exercise in residential areas, and claims of trail hunting where no trail exists.
Overall, all behaviours that facilitate, disguise, or support the hunting of wild mammals—including cub hunting—should be restricted.
Question 10: In relation to offences or conduct which would assist unlawful trail hunting to take place, we intend that it should be an offence for the owner or person responsible for a dog to knowingly cause or permit another person to use the dog for trail hunting. Do you agree?
Absolutely, we do. This is a bigger question than it appears. A number of pack owners escape justice because they regularly lend out their dogs for fox hunting (under the guise of trail hunting).
Question 11: Are there any other forms of conduct which should be considered as possible offences in relation to offences or conduct which would assist unlawful trail hunting to take place?
All forms of hunting wild mammals during trail hunts should be prohibited, including killing, pursuing, or taking hounds into areas where mammals live. Additional risks—such as livestock worrying, badger sett interference, hounds on roads or in residential areas, road blocking, uncollared hounds, and hunting in no-drone zones—should also be banned. No chase, regardless of distance, should be permitted.
Question 12: Do you consider that any other legislative changes are necessary to ensure that a ban on trail hunting is effective?
A complete ban on hunting wild mammals with dogs should be introduced, with no "Exempt Hunting" permitted at all, and the defence of “no intention to hunt” should be removed. Any pursuit and killing - including accidental or reckless - or taking hounds into areas where wild mammals live should be illegal.
Penalties should be strengthened, with a potential custodial sentence being available.
Sporting rights laws should be reformed so landowners can prevent hunts from accessing their land, removing outdated covenants held by third parties.
The “working dogs” exemption should no longer apply to hounds; they should be treated like any other dogs under the law.
Stronger controls are needed on hound management, including:
- No off-lead hounds in residential areas
- Limits on the number of hounds under control
- Clear legal definition of a “pack”
Enforcement powers should be strengthened:
- Police should be able to enter land where hunting is suspected
- Stronger trespass laws for hunt operators
Improved animal welfare measures should include:
- Easier seizure (impounding) of hounds used illegally
- Preventing hounds being taken into dangerous environments
Finally, related legislation (e.g. road use, dangerous dogs, livestock protection, and local orders) should be reviewed and updated to ensure they fully apply to hounds without exemption.
Question 13: We are aware that animal based scents, or scents which mimic animal based scents, are sometimes used to train dogs for specific purposes, other than trail hunting, such as pest control. We are keen to understand whether there might be a need for exemptions to cover such cases. Do you think that it is possible for dogs to be appropriately trained for specific purposes other than trail hunting without the use of either animal based scents or artificial scents which mimic an animal based scent?
Dogs can be trained using non-animal scents for other purposes, but hounds experienced in trail or fox hunting are hard to retrain and should not be used, as this poses a high risk to wildlife. Any vague or unmonitored exemptions for training with animal scents could be exploited by hunts.
Question 14: Do you think that it should remain lawful, in certain circumstances, for animal based scents, or scents which mimic animal based scents, to be used in training dogs for certain purposes?
Our answer is NO.
We have said NO because we believe that the fox hunts will use this as a way of hunting a wild mammal for fun.
However, if this is allowed, there should be clear restrictions:
Only one dog can be used. The dog must not be a fox hound. The dog must be kept on a lead. The dog must be soft-mouthed.
Question 15: We understand that drag hunting is an equestrian sport where an artificial non-animal based scent trail, which does not mimic an animal based scent, is laid along a pre- determined route for hounds to follow. Do you agree that this is an accurate description of drag hunting?
Yes.
However, drag hunts do not take place near areas where wild mammals typically live or rest.
Question 16: Do you think that there is a risk that dogs engaged in drag hunting will deviate from the pre-laid trail by the scent of a wild mammal and then pursue the wild mammal?
YES
Any dog can chase a wild mammal if they see it or smell it. They can SEE it as well as SMELL it. It doesn’t just have to be a scent.
If hounds of any kind are at a distance from the person in control, that person is unlikely to be able to get there on time to stop a chase, even if they wanted to. This isn’t just about illegal hunting, it is also about the competence of the people in charge of the dogs. If they are incompetent, wild mammals will be at risk.
Question 17: We understand ‘clean boot’ hunting is an activity where hounds hunt human runners who neither wear nor drag any form of artificial scent enhancement. Do you agree that this is an accurate description of ‘clean boot’ hunting?
No - the definition should include bloodhounds.
Question 18: Do you think there is a risk that dogs engaged in clean boot hunting will deviate from their pursuit of human runners to the pursuit of wild mammals?
Any dog can chase a wild mammal if they see it or smell it. They can SEE it as well as SMELL it. It doesn’t just have to be a scent.
If hounds of any kind are at a distance from the person in control, that person is unlikely to be able to get there on time to stop a chase, even if they wanted to.
Question 19: Do you think that a new law to ban trail hunting would need to include any additional provisions in relation to drag hunting or clean boot hunting?
YES
Drag and clean boot hunting should be subject to strict, government-run regulation with statutory powers, including licensing, competency checks, and permanent bans for any hunt found to pursue wild mammals, whether intentionally or through negligence.The current governing body should be replaced, and hunts must operate with full transparency, including GPS tracking, published routes, public meet information, and mandatory reporting to Defra of any contact with wild mammals.
Additional requirements should include close control of hounds, route planning to avoid wildlife, detailed records of scent use (for drag hunting), and enhanced police powers to inspect records, maps, GPS data, and related evidence.
Question 20: Are there any equestrian activities other than drag hunting, for example point to pointing, which you think are at risk from being affected by the proposed ban on trail hunting?
Other equestrian activities, such as point-to-point racing, can be easily adapted after trail hunting is banned. Rules requiring horses to have hunted are artificial and could be changed, and converting to drag or clean boot hunting would eliminate any issues.
Question 21: How do you think the introduction of a ban on trail hunting will affect dogs used for trail hunting? For example, will they be able to be re-directed to other activities?
The impact of a trail hunting ban on hounds is likely short-term. Some hounds could be rehomed, sold, or kept for showing, depending on their temperament, and younger dogs can be trained for new roles. Retired hounds returning to puppy walkers should continue. Fox hounds with trail hunting experience should not be used in drag hunting due to the risk to wildlife. Breeding of hounds should be prohibited going forward.
Question 22: Do you think that there should be a transition period following the introduction of a ban on trail hunting and if so, how long should that period be?
Absolutely not. They have already had 21 years to transition but have not done it. They have also had nearly two years to plan, after the election promise of the Labour Government, which has been confirmed several times since.
Transition has already started anyway after the government’s announcement.
Question 23: Community and Social Impacts This section invites your views on how the proposed legislation might affect people and communities. Do you think that the proposed legislation to ban trail hunting in England and Wales will affect people and/or communities more widely?
Banning trail hunting will benefit rural communities by reducing road chaos, risks to animals, trespass, and intimidation. Hunts are a small, niche minority, and most rural communities are centered around other social activities, so their absence will have minimal negative impact.
Question 24: Business and economic impacts. Your answers to the following questions will help us to understand the possible business and economic impacts of introducing a ban on trail hunting. How do you think the proposed ban on trail hunting might affect the income and activities of the hunts currently involved in this activity?
Nothing would change with regard to income or activities if the hunts convert to drag or clean boot hunting. The hunts raise money within their own community. If the community is as supportive as the hunts claim, there is no reason why it should end.
Question 25: How do you think the proposed ban on trail hunting might affect the income and activities of businesses directly linked with hunts which currently engage in trail hunting?
Businesses linked to hunts—such as farriers, mechanics, pubs, hotels, country clothing stores, stables, betting organisations, and farms—can generally adapt if trail hunting is banned. Skills and services are transferable, hunt horses can be used year-round, and events or retail can diversify. Economic impact is minimal, and preserving jobs is not a justification for illegal activities.
Question 26: Do you think that the proposed ban on trail hunting in England and Wales might affect other businesses not directly linked with hunts?
If it does, they should adapt. Many have.
Environmental impacts Question 27: How do you think that the proposed ban on trail hunting could affect the environment or wildlife?
If hunts claim that foxes will no longer flourish, they are admitting they have been hunting them since the ban.
Wildlife is badly affected by hunts that go wherever they like. You can tell where a hunt is by fleeing birds and other wildlife and sometimes panicking livestock. Badger sett blocking should stop.
Fox population should return to natural levels. By feeding on rabbits, the staple diet of rural foxes, they save British crop farmers between £7-9 million every year. In its lifetime, one fox is worth up to £900 in extra revenue to arable farmers. Foxes also help woodlands grow by feeding on field voles and rabbits, the species that do the most damage in young plantations, foxes help reduce economic losses to forestry, yet foxes continue to be used as scapegoats by some livestock farmers. This is clearly unjustified. According to Defra, 95% of lamb losses are due to poor farming practices, with confirmed losses to foxes less than 1%. Hunts (even when denying they are fox hunting) always point out that foxes are vermin. This is not true, as foxes keep the natural order going by eating rats and rabbits. It is morally wrong to demonise a particular animal, and society would improve if this was not promulgated by the hunt.
Question 28: Further Considerations - Are there any other matters, including possible alternatives to primary legislation, which you feel should be taken into account in developing the legislation to ban trail hunting?
Anyone taking a pack of dogs out into the countryside should be officially examined on their competence. New legislation is needed to make anyone using a gun to shoot wildlife take a competence test. The gun licence needs tightening.
Full guidance to support the new law. A proper description of traditional fox, stag, and other mammal hunting should be created, in order to help the police recognise it when they see it.
