ENDING TRAIL HUNTING
The RSPCA believes that hunting wild mammals with dogs is intrinsically cruel and that the Hunting Act 2004 should be amended to end trail hunting.
IMPROVING THE HUNTING ACT 2004
The RSPCA believes that hunting wild mammals with dogs is intrinsically cruel and despite some positives of the Hunting Act 2004, including setting a marker in the sand for what is acceptable in a modern, humane society, there is a need to amend it.
Despite this clear intent, two decades have revealed growing difficulties in enforcing the law. Specifically, some hunts appear to be exploiting some of the Act’s exemptions and also using the practice of 'trail hunting' as a smokescreen to circumvent the legal restrictions.
Additionally, the public has consistently supported a ban on the hunting of wild mammals with dogs with around 80% supporting a ban.
We therefore welcome the Government’s commitment to deliver on this and believe there are a number of areas where the 2004 Act could be tightened to prevent cruelty to animals. These fall into three areas:
- Tightening the law by banning trail hunting, repealing exemptions, and prohibiting the use of animal based products for any trail.
- Requiring dogs to be kept under proper control and consideration for restricting the number of dogs that can be used.
- Improving enforcement provisions such as tougher penalties, extending time limits for investigating and introducing an offence of vicarious liability.
NEXT STEPS
In December 2025, the UK Government launched its new Animal Welfare Strategy, which included a proposal to ban trail hunting, as promised in Labour’s manifesto. Then in March 2026 a public consultation was launched on trail hunting. It closed in June and we are now awaiting Defra’s response to it.
We very much hope that the outcome of the consultation will bring us one step closer to making the chasing and hunting of wild animals a thing of the past.