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2d ago

Hunts Claim Record Boxing Day Turnouts as Government Moves to Ban Trail Hunting

Ministers cite misuse of trail hunting to mask illegal fox hunts.

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CHIDDINGSTONE CAUSEWAY, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Riders with horses and hounds take part in the Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent Hunt Boxing Day Meet on December 26, 2025 in Chiddingstone Causeway, England. The government has announced plans to follow-through on a manifesto pledge to ban trail hunting, as part of a package of animal welfare reforms. Traditional hound hunts of wild mammals were banned in England and Wales in the Hunting Act 2004, but the practice of trail hunting, which replicates a hound hunt by laying an animal scent trail, remains legal. Animal welfare activists have criticized the practice as an unregulated smokescreen for hunting wild animals, while hunting advocates say it benefits rural communities by boosting local economies. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Defra reiterated that the animal welfare strategy includes a plan to prohibit trail hunting in England and Wales, arguing it is often used as a cover for illegal hunting.
  • The Duke of Beaufort’s hunt estimated about 6,000 onlookers this year, up from roughly 4,000, with other packs also reporting larger crowds at traditional meets.
  • Heythrop and other organisers cast the gatherings as a call to arms, vowing to keep Boxing Day meets and to fight the proposed ban.
  • The Countryside Alliance and Conservative voices condemned the policy as harmful to rural jobs and communities, with some MPs polling constituents on the issue.
  • Hunt saboteur groups welcomed the pledge to close what they call a loophole, while campaigners pointed to YouGov polling supporting the existing foxhunting ban; Scotland already outlaws trail hunting and Northern Ireland has separate rules.