Time for change to hunting laws
Born Free joins calls for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make good on promised Hunting Act reforms.
On 17th February, Born Free’s Head of Policy Dr Mark Jones joined colleagues from wildlife protection organisations at Downing Street to hand over an open letter signed by over 36,000 people. The letter calls on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to make good on his government’s longstanding promise to ban trail hunting, and to strengthen the Hunting Act to remove loopholes that are currently exploited by hunts to enable them to continue using packs of dogs to kill foxes and other wildlife.
A ban on trail hunting was included among the commitments in Labour’s 2024 election manifesto, but the measure did not feature in the legislative agenda that followed Labour’s election victory.
In its Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published in December 2025, the government stated that it would ‘consult in early 2026 on how to deliver a ban on trail hunting’. However, as yet the consultation has not been published, and looks set to be further delayed, making legislative change unlikely in the next Parliamentary session.
Speaking in advance of the hand-in, Dr Jones said: “Labour introduced the Hunting Act more than 20 years ago, in order to end the unimaginably cruel so-called ‘sport’ of hunting with dogs. However, ‘trail hunting’, in which a scent is laid down for the hounds to follow, and other weaknesses and loopholes in the Act, continue to be used with impunity by hunts to enable foxes and other wild animals to be pursued and killed.
“The overwhelming majority of the British public oppose hunting with dogs and support the need to bring this heinous activity to a permanent end. Trail hunting must be banned, the loopholes in the Act must be closed, and those breaking the law must be severely punished. Further delays result in the unnecessary suffering of yet more wild animals in our countryside. The time for change is now.”
Born Free is proud to be a member of the Time for Change Coalition alongside the League Against Cruel Sports and more than 30 organisations committed to protecting wild animals.