New polling shows voters support a ban on trail hunting

New polling data released today shows a clear majority of voters of all parties and people in the countryside as well as towns and cities support a ban on trail hunting.

The polling was commissioned by animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports and carried out independently by Survation in December 2025.

It is being released as frustration grows at the government’s failure to launch its consultation to ban trail hunting, which it claimed would happen in late 2025 and then early in the New Year 2026. The government’s most recent written statement on animal welfare made it clear that the consultation won’t be launched in January.

• It shows 62 per cent of the public think trail hunting should be illegal, more than double the 24 per cent that think it should be legal.
• In rural areas support for the ban on trail hunting is 58 per cent, more than double the 28 per cent that oppose it.
• Support for the ban comes from voters of all parties based on their current voting intention with 56 per cent of Conservative voters, 56 per cent of Labour voters, 64 per cent of Reform voters, 66 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters and 79 per cent of Green voters.

Emma Slawinski, League Against Cruel Sports chief executive, said: “This polling shows that people from across the political spectrum and from both town and countryside have seen through the lame excuses being offered up by the hunting world and want to see trail hunting banned.

“The time for change is now and we urge the government to act and to push ahead with the consultation to ban trail hunting which they firstly promised to deliver last year and then early in the New Year.”

The polling showed support for a trail hunting ban in every single region of England and Wales and comes 20 years after fox hunting was banned.

The League released figures ahead of Boxing Day showing an increase in the number of reports of foxes being chased and hunts wreaking havoc on rural communities which received widespread media and online coverage.

Trail hunting, the excuse invented by hunts after the ban and in which they claim to follow a trail and that any hunting was accidental, has been described by chief superintendent Matt Longman, the national lead on fox hunting crime, as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting”. He also described illegal hunting as “prolific”.

Emma added: “We want to see the government launch its consultation to ban trail hunting and to also remove the exemptions in the Hunting Act, introduce jail sentences to act as a deterrent to lawbreakers and to outlaw reckless and accidental hunting.”

The government has not responded to League correspondence with them attempting to clarify when the consultation is being launched.

More about how to take part in the consultation, and how people can make their voice heard, is available here: https://www.league.org.uk/hunting_consultation

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Notes to editors

For information or interview requests, please contact the League Against Cruel Sports Press Office on 01483 524250 or email pressoffice@league.org.uk

Fox hunting was banned in England and Wales when the Hunting Act came into force on February 18, 2005.

Survation conducted an online poll of 2,021 adults aged 18+ living in England and Wales on behalf of the League Against Cruel Sports. Fieldwork was conducted between 12th - 18th December 2025. Survation is a Market Research Society company partner. Survation is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain's leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act 2004, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 and bans on the use of snares brought about by the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023, and Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage wildlife reserves. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).