Parliamentarians and animal welfare groups urge the Prime Minister to overhaul the Hunting Act

An open letter authored by Rachael Maskell MP has been sent to the prime minister today calling for an overhaul of the Hunting Act.

A coalition of 32 parliamentarians, alongside 26 animal protection organisations, charities and campaigns signed the open letter – including the League Against Cruel Sports, Born Free Foundation, PETA, and the RSPCA – urging the Prime Minister to promptly publish the findings of the trail hunting consultation and introduce legislation in the next parliamentary session.

In the open letter published today, the signatories welcome the Government's commitment to prohibit trail hunting. They stress that to make this commitment genuinely effective in practice; upcoming legislation must comprehensively strengthen the Hunting Act 2004 rather than focusing solely on trail hunting.

The intervention follows the Government's public consultation on banning trail hunting. Drawing on evidence from animal protection groups, field monitors and law enforcement, the letter highlights that trail hunting is one of several covers used to continue chasing and killing wild animals with dogs.

To ensure the new ban works as intended and cannot be bypassed, the signatories emphasise the need to address other key weaknesses that hunts could exploit, such as:

• Presenting their activity as drag hunting while continuing to exploit the same weaknesses used to facilitate trail hunting
• Using the scientific research exemption as a cover for chasing and killing deer
• Carrying birds of prey as props during fox cub hunting or relying on other exemptions and pretexts for illegal hunting

Rachael Maskell, Member of Parliament for York Central, said: "More than two decades after the Hunting Act became law, people are right to expect it to protect wildlife in practice, not only on paper. The Government now has a clear opportunity to publish its consultation findings promptly, close existing loopholes, and bring forward legislation capable of ending the chasing and killing of wild animals with dogs for fun – once and for all."

The letter points to broad public and electoral support for swift, effective action. Polling cited by the signatories shows that 62 per cent of the public, including 58 per cent of rural residents, favour a trail hunting ban. In contrast, only 16 per cent oppose wider measures to strengthen the ban, while nearly one in four voters would be less likely to support the governing party if fox hunting continues in the British countryside going into the next general election.

Emma Slawinski, Chief Executive at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “The public wants an end to hunting with dogs and the consultation has created a clear opportunity to protect animals and rural communities from this cruel and outdated practice.

“The Government should now move quickly to publish its findings, followed by strong and comprehensive legislation which not only bans trail hunting but closes all loopholes and exemptions used to disguise illegal hunting. It’s time to finish the job and ban hunting with dogs for good.”

The open letter concludes by offering the signatories' support to help the Government deliver prompt, comprehensive reform that meets public expectations and protects wild animals from being chased and killed in the name of sport.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Signatories

The letter is signed by 32 MPs, together with 26 animal protection organisations, charities and campaigns. The most prominent organisational signatories include the League Against Cruel Sports, RSPCA, Humane World for Animals UK, Born Free, the Badger Trust, PETA, Four Paws UK and The New Hunting Ban.

The Government consultation

The public consultation considered proposals to ban trail hunting. https://consult.defra.gov.uk/d... citing 62 per cent support for a ban on trail hunting was commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports and conducted by Survation. 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 12 and 18 December 2025. Survation is a Market Research Society company partner, a member of the British Polling Council, and abides by its rules. Full tables are available here.

Polling citing 16 per cent opposing wider measures to strengthen the ban was commissioned by The New Hunting Ban and conducted by Find Out Now. Find Out Now conducted a poll of more than 1,100 voters, using a nationally representative sample, on fox hunting, trail hunting and the Government’s current consultation process. Find Out Now is a member of the British Polling Council and the Market Research Society. Full results are available here.