On 22nd December 2025, the UK Government unveiled its new Animal Welfare Strategy for England, in which it shows it intends to ban trail hunting in England and Wales soon, as the Labour Party promised in its last electoral manifesto. It is hoped that, if the ban is approved by Parliament, it will close what many animal protectors have long denounced as one of the major loopholes in the Hunting Act 2004. The measure promises to end a practice they say has too often been used as a smokescreen for the continued hunting of wild animals with hounds.
The policy targets the version of hunting created after the 2004 hunting ban, where hounds and riders claimed to follow an artificial scent trail laid in advance instead of pursuing a live fox or hare, something campaigners have argued for over 20 years was a cover for illegal hunting designed to make prosecutions more difficult. Trail hunting survived the 2004 Hunting Act because it does not explicitly require the chasing and killing of any animals, yet anti-hunting campaigners have repeatedly presented evidence of wildlife being chased and killed during trail hunting events. Organisations such as the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA), the League Against Cruel Sports, IFAW and the RSPCA have managed to secure successful prosecutions against prominent members of registered hunts, but they say that most illegal hunters get away with it thanks to the trail hunting false alibi.
As part of the new strategy involving wild animals, ministers will also move to ban snares and introduce tighter controls on how wild hares can be shot. The details of the trail hunting ban, including enforcement, monitoring, and timescales, are due to be consulted on in the new year, with legislation expected to follow once that process is complete. It remains to be seen if the other loopholes of the Hunting Act 2024, namely the research and observation exemption exploited by stag hunts, or the terrier work exemptions exploited by terrier people, will also be closed.
In Scotland, trail hunting is already prohibited, although campaigners say the licensing system used in the Scottish law has opened new loopholes for illegal hunting. Hunting with dogs remains fully legal in Northern Ireland, despite a new Bill that was trying to change that. An HSA spokesperson said, “Hunt saboteurs have spent decades working in the fields, and more recently in parliament, to protect all animals harmed by hunting. Over the last twenty years, we have learnt that hunters will stop at nothing to pursue their bloodlust — we therefore anticipate that there will be more work to do even when legislation has passed. This season has already seen wildlife chased and killed under the guise of ‘trail hunting’, a loophole that fails to prevent cruelty. A ban is long overdue to end the savage cruelty caused by hunting with hounds. We will wait to see the outcome of the consultation, but it is clear that far stronger measures are urgently needed to protect wildlife.”
