Hunting Act amendment bill published in full

The full text of a backbench bill to tighten the ban on hunting with dogs has been published, giving legislative shape to campaigners’ demands for a “gold standard” Hunting Act. The Hunting Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill, sponsored by Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Labour MP for Poole, was published as Bill 129 on 15 July.

What would the Hunting Act amendment bill change?

The Hunting Act 2004 banned the hunting of wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales, subject to a series of exemptions; trail hunting, in which hounds follow a laid scent, developed after the ban and has been the focus of dispute ever since.

The bill’s long title is short: “A Bill to amend the Hunting Act 2004; and for connected purposes.” Its purpose, according to its supporters, is to remove the exemptions in the 2004 Act that anti-hunting campaigners claim are exploited to hunt live quarry under cover of trail hunting. The text draws on recommendations published in December 2025 by the campaign group The New Hunting Ban.

Mr Duncan-Jordan said: “Hunts have repeatedly exploited loopholes to continue killing wildlife. We must remove all exemptions in the Hunting Act that are abused to deliberately hunt mammals with hounds.”

Will the bill become law?

On its own, almost certainly not. It is a presentation bill, a category of private member’s bill that rarely progresses without government support, and its second reading is not scheduled until 19 March 2027. Its co-sponsors include Dr Simon Opher, the Labour MP for Stroud.

The bill’s real function is pressure: it lands while ministers are still weighing their response to the trail hunting consultation, and it keeps a fully drafted alternative on the table if the Government’s own proposals are judged too weak by campaigners.

Why does it matter to the shooting community?

Exemptions under the Hunting Act 2004 include activities the wider countryside community relies on, such as using dogs to flush wild mammals to be shot in the course of pest control. How an amending bill treats each exemption will determine how far it reaches beyond the hunts it targets.

The Moorland Association has already warned that any trail hunting ban must not catch working dogs on shoots, and reactive comment from hound sports and shooting organisations can be expected as the bill text is examined.

What happens next?

The bill awaits its second reading on 19 March 2027, and the Government’s response to the trail hunting consultation remains the bigger moment for both sides. The full text of the bill can be read at bills.parliament.uk (bills.parliament.uk/bills/4268).