The Consultation
The Government has announced a public consultation to ban ‘trail’ hunting, expected later this year — and it could signal the beginning of the end of hunting in England and Wales. This is a pivotal moment in the campaign to finally close the loopholes in the Hunting Act and end the cruelty of fox, stag, hare, otter and mink hunting once and for all.
This is your opportunity to speak up and help shape the future of hunting laws. This is your opportunity to close loopholes that allows hunting to continue.
Pledge your support today to stand ready to respond when the consultation opens, and demand a tougher, more effective Hunting Act.
Hunting was banned 20 years ago, but the hunt never stopped; it just found a new smokescreen. So-called trail hunting is the discredited excuse used by hunts since the fox hunting ban in which they claim to follow pre-laid trails.
The Hunting Act is weak, it is difficult to enforce, and its exemptions are too easy to exploit. A consultation to ban trail hunting alone is not enough. We must make sure this consultation is wide-reaching — covering the entire Hunting Act. This allows us to demonstrate the urgent need to:
- Remove exemptions in the Hunting Act being exploited by hunts so they can carry on cruelly chasing and killing wildlife
- End so called trail hunting
- Improve the police’s ability to enforce the law
- Introduce custodial sentences as a deterrent
To help make this happen, email your MP today to call for a broad and meaningful consultation on all aspects of the Hunting Act.
Why does this matter?
A consultation is the crucial first step towards stronger laws. It gives the public — and organisations like ours — the chance to present hard evidence to the Government and influence future legislation.
As animal advocates, we must ensure the consultation is flooded with powerful, evidence-based responses. The hunting lobby will do everything it can to maintain the status quo — we cannot let them drown out the voices of the majority who want stronger protections for wildlife.
What happens next?
The consultation hasn’t launched yet — but by signing the pledge, you’ll be among the first to know the moment it does.
We’ll guide you every step of the way:
- When the consultation opens, we’ll send you everything you need to respond effectively
- The consultation will likely remain open for around 3 months
- After it closes, the Government will review all responses and publish a summary — expected in 2026 — outlining next steps and any new legislation they plan to introduce
This is a rare opportunity to make real change. Together, let’s make sure this consultation leads to the end of hunting wildlife with dogs — for good.