Tens of thousands of people are expected to meet for Boxing Day trail hunts as the government moves to outlaw the countryside pursuit.
Sir Keir Starmer’s government is seeking a ban on the field sport amid fierce criticism from leaders representing rural communities.
The proposal is included in the government’s Animal Welfare Strategy which was launched just days before today’s traditional events.
The move, taken in response to concerns that the activity is being used as a smokescreen for foxhunting, would become law by 2029.
The prime minister is already the focus of lingering resentment among farming communities over changes to inheritance tax breaks.
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Rural people have been ‘alienated’ according to the Countryside Alliance, with a poll suggesting 65% of voters think the Labour administration unfairly neglects country communities.
The pressure group defended the practice, introduced to comply with the Hunting Act 2004’s ban on pursuing foxes, saying it contributes more than £100 million a year to the rural economy.
The government will launch a consultation and ‘engagement with farmers and industry’ in early 2026 on how to ban trail hunting in England and Wales. The pursuit is already outlawed in Scotland.
The strategy also proposes outlawing puppy farms and snare traps.
Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said: ‘When Keir Starmer said that he “wanted a new relationship with the countryside” we all assumed he meant a better one.
‘But in 18 months his government has alienated rural people and created the clear impression that it does not care about the countryside.
‘Its warped priorities have put taxing family farms, raising rates for rural businesses and banning trail hunting above policies that would benefit rural people.
What is trail hunting?
Trail hunting involves laying an animal-based scent for dogs to chase while riders follow on horseback.
The activity has remained legal since the 2004 hunting ban because the idea is animals are not harmed.
The League Against Cruel Sports said in April that nearly 397 reports of foxes being chased were recorded nationwide during the previous hunting season. The anti-hunting group claims that trails are deliberately laid in areas where foxes and hares are likely to be, so hounds often end up chasing live animals.
But the Countryside Alliance has said ‘the government wants to ban the very thing it told hunts to do’ when foxhunting was outlawed in 2004 and is again ‘ignoring the evidence’.
‘While the partial changes to the family farm tax are a step in the right direction, the government must desperately learn the fundamental lesson of this policy debacle, which is that it needs to work with the rural community – not legislate against it.
‘The government has a very long way to go to rebuild trust.’
A poll by ORB International suggested only 36% of Britons agreed or strongly agreed the Labour government cares about countryside people.
The apparent disconnect was also evidenced by 76% saying they believed the government prioritised urban issues over rural ones, according to the survey of 2,083 British adults online.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) pointed to its response to a review of the agricultural sector carried out by former National Farmers’ Union president Baroness Minette Batters.
A Defra spokeswoman said: ‘This government is committed to banning trail hunting, which is too often used as a cover for illegal fox hunting, and has strong public support across the country.
‘This builds on previous animal welfare reforms delivered by this government, including giving police greater powers to prevent dog attacks on livestock, protecting farmers and animals alike.
‘The Batters Review highlighted the need for greater collaboration between industry, farmers and government — and that is exactly what we will do.
‘We have increased the individual inheritance tax threshold from £1 million to £2.5 million, meaning couples with estates of up to £5 million will pay no inheritance tax.’
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