Labour is set to strengthen anti-hunting laws with plans to prosecute hunters if foxes are killed through “recklessness”, moving away from the current requirement to prove deliberate killing.
The Government has pledged to ban trail hunting, where dogs follow an animal-based scent, amid growing concerns about illegal foxhunting continuing in England and Wales.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Mary Creagh recently reaffirmed Labour’s commitment in the Commons, stating the party would provide “significant protections to wild animals, including foxes and hares”.
The proposed changes come nearly 20 years after the Hunting Act 2004 was introduced by Tony Blair’s Government.
Trail hunting has already been suspended on Ministry of Defence land since Labour took office in July.
New data from the League Against Cruel Sports suggests illegal foxhunting remains widespread, with 186 reports of foxes being pursued by hunts between August and the start of the hunting season in November.
The animal welfare charity documented 220 reports relating to suspected illegal hunting incidents during the same period.
The figures, released ahead of Boxing Day hunt parades, also revealed 553 cases of “hunt havoc” – disruptive behaviour affecting rural communities.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
These incidents included trespassing on farmland, worrying livestock, hunt hounds loose on roads and attacks on domestic animals.
The League Against Cruel Sports says the data demonstrates the need for stronger legislation to close existing loopholes in hunting laws.
Chris Luffingham, acting chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “These figures show that the Boxing Day hunt parades are a charade, hiding a world of brutality that has never gone away in the 20 years since the Hunting Act was introduced.”
He called for urgent Government action to strengthen hunting laws and “stop foxhunting once and for all”.
Fox hunting
PA
“Not only does so-called trail hunting need to be banned, but the loopholes in the Hunting Act need to be removed, and custodial sentences introduced for those caught breaking the law,” Luffingham added.
He challenged claims by hunts about following pre-laid trails, stating: “If hunts were really following pre-laid trails and trail hunting as they constantly claim, none of the recorded incidents would have occurred.”
The National Trust, one of Britain’s largest landowners, banned trail hunting in 2021 amid concerns the practice was being used to mask illegal foxhunting.
Scotland has already implemented stricter measures, with its parliament voting to ban trail hunting in January 2023.
The Scottish legislation made it illegal to use more than two dogs to chase or stalk wild mammals without a licence.
However, data from Scotland’s first hunting season under the new law showed at least 41 licences were issued for using packs of dogs, with only two being monitored for compliance.
Robbie Marsland, Lacs Scotland’s director, expressed concern that mounted hunts were claiming to participate in drag hunting as a smokescreen.
The Scottish experience has increased pressure on England and Wales to revisit their own legislation.
