Ministers hold line on hunting law reform as trail hunting consultation closes

The Government has repeated that its trail hunting consultation will be considered carefully but declined to commit to wider Hunting Act reform, with the consultation closing on 18 June. The Government has restated its position on hunting law in a series of written answers, confirming its consultation on banning trail hunting in England and Wales will close on 18 June and declining to commit to wider reform of the Hunting Act 2004. Answering questions from Connor Naismith (Labour, Crewe and Nantwich) on 10 June, Defra minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “On 26 March, Defra launched a consultation seeking views on how best to deliver an effective and enforceable ban in England and Wales. The consultation will be open until 18 June and all responses to it will be considered carefully in developing our proposals.”

Background on the Hunting Act exemptions

Pressed specifically on the Act’s Schedule 1 exemptions, which cover activities including the stalking and flushing of wild mammals relevant to lawful pest and predator control, ministers gave the same holding line and did not commit to changes.

On enforcement, justice minister Sarah Sackman said on 9 June that any change to evidential thresholds was “a policy matter for Defra” and that enforcement remained “an operational matter for the police”, pointing to published prosecution data.

The exchanges matter for the shooting and gamekeeping community because any reworking of the Hunting Act’s exemptions could affect lawful activities such as flushing to guns and the use of dogs in pest control. The Countryside Alliance has been urging members to respond before the consultation closes.