The government has committed to a trail hunting ban as hunts gather across the UK for traditional Boxing Day meets.
Trail hunting – a practice where a scent is laid out for the hunt to follow – was introduced as a “cruelty free” replacement for fox hunting, banned by Labour in 2004.
Animal rights campaigners have urged the government to deliver on its manifesto promise to ban trail hunting.
The Countryside Alliance, which represents hunters, has criticised the decision, and said it would be “extraordinary” for Labour to focus on the ban given the poor state of its relations with rural communities.
Hunting with hounds has been a tradition in parts of the UK for centuries, but the 2004 Hunting Act placed restrictions on the practice.
The act banned the use of dogs to hunt wild mammals – including foxes, hares, deer and mink – across England and Wales.
Traditional hunts have now been replaced with trail hunting, which involves laying a trail using a rag soaked in animal scent.
It mimics the scent of a wild animal, so the hounds chase that instead of a fox, for example. The intention is to replicate the pursuit across the countryside, without the need to kill animals.
In a statement, the government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “This government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious animal welfare plans in a generation and that is exactly what we will do”.
In some cases, however, the practice is being “exploited as a smokescreen to cruelly kill foxes and hares”, a spokesperson for Defra added.
Since the beginning of August, there were 186 reports of foxes pursued by hunts and 220 relating to suspected illegal hunting incidents, according to the League Against Cruel Sports.
The organisation’s head has called for the government to strengthen existing legislation to avoid “loopholes”, including by introducing custodial sentences to those hunting wild animals with dogs.
Further changes to the law have been criticised as “completely unjustified”, with the Countryside Alliance saying trail hunting is a legal activity that brings rural communities together.
The alliance’s chief executive, Tim Bonner, said the ban would be an “act of spite” that would be negatively received by the countryside.
He said there were 12,000 hunting days each year that are legal and legitimate.
The issue of trail hunting is “irrelevant” to most people, Mr Bonner added, and it would be “extraordinary” for Labour to focus on given the poor state of its relationship with rural communities.
Constituents living in rural communities have been critical of some changes proposed by the new Labour government.
Farmers protested against changes to inheritance tax announced in the Autumn Budget in November, taking to the streets of central London to voice their concerns.
The changes mean that from April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1 million, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the tax at 20%.
The National Farmers’ Union said the Budget was “disastrous” and its plans would “snatch away the next generation’s ability to carry on producing British food” and see farmers forced to sell land to pay the tax.
It also urged the government to consult farmers on the changes to make the policies “less bad”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the “vast majority” of farmers would not be affected by the tax changes.
