My noble Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Baroness Hayman of Ullock), has made the following written statement today.
Today we are launching a consultation to seek views on how best to deliver an effective and enforceable ban on trail hunting in England and Wales. The responses will be used to inform my Department’s assessment of any potential social, community, economic, business or environmental impacts of a trail hunting ban and the development of subsequent legislation to be introduced when parliamentary time allows.
The consultation invites views on a wide range of matters including:
how trail hunting should be defined for the purposes of a ban;
how to ensure that the ban on trail hunting will not inadvertently affect other activities which we intend should remain lawful such as drag hunting or “clean boot” hunting;
whether it should remain lawful to use animal-based scent trails when training dogs for specific purposes;
considerations relevant to the timing of introducing the ban;
the potential community, social, business, economic and environmental impacts of the proposed approach to banning trail hunting.
The consultation will be open for 12 weeks and close on 18 June. We welcome views from all those with an interest and all responses to the consultation will be considered carefully in developing our proposals.
A summary of responses to the consultation will be published in due course.
Background information on trail hunting
The Hunting Act 2004 made it an offence to hunt wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, subject to some exemptions. Following the introduction of that Act, trail hunting grew in popularity as an alternative to hunting wild mammals with dogs.
Trail hunting aims to mimic a traditional hunt by laying an animal scent trail which simulates the natural movement of wild mammals through hedgerows, woods, and ditches for hounds and hunts to follow.
Trail hunting has become a focus of concern because, by its very nature, it is difficult to ensure that wild mammals such as foxes are not placed in danger:
trail hunting involves the laying of a trail using an animal-based scent for the dogs to follow;
the trail is not always laid constantly but may be lifted for a distance and dropped again to allow the hounds to search for the scent;
huntsmen and followers often do not know where trails have been laid.
These factors can result in the scent of a live wild animal being picked up. Once picked up, the hounds may follow the scent of the wild mammal rather than follow the intended trail, resulting in pursuit which could cause distress and lead to the death of, or injury to, the wild mammal.
A ban on trail hunting would ensure that wild mammals are not pursued and placed in danger as a result of trail hunting, prevent trail hunting from being used to avoid criminal liability for hunting with dogs and support effective enforcement of the law against hunting with dogs.
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