Fox hunting
Fox hunting was banned under the Hunting Act in England and Wales in 2004 (and in Scotland under the Wild Mammals Protection Act in 2002), due to widespread concern about the severe harm it caused to wild animals.
Jump to:
What is fox hunting?
Traditional fox hunting typically involved hunts on horseback, following a pack of hounds to pick up the scent of a wild animal such as a fox, then chase it. When caught, foxes were either mauled to death by the hounds or shot.
The public, along with the RSPCA and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), voiced strong opposition to the cruelty of wild animals being chased, often to the point of exhaustion, before being set upon by a pack of hounds in the name of sport.
Yet all too often, we see this practice continuing today under the smokescreen of trail hunting.
What is trail hunting?
Trail hunting was established as a legal alternative to fox hunting by hunt organisers, following the ban in 2004.
In principle, trail hunting involves laying a scent trail for hounds to follow, using urine or body parts from wild animals such as foxes, deer or hares
However, there is mounting evidence that trail hunting is used by some hunts as a cover to continue illegal hunting. In some instances, hounds enter private property, and cross railways and busy roads, which suggests a trail hasn’t been laid.
Training hounds to follow an animal-based scent can lead to live foxes, deer, and hares being disturbed, chased, and killed, with hounds often encouraged when in pursuit of a wild animal. As a result, there are frequent reports of animals killed in what trail hunts claim are accidents – including attacks on livestock and domestic pets.
Will trail hunting be banned in the UK?
With 81% of the UK population in favour of keeping a ban on hunting animals with dogs, it’s time wild animals were better protected. As part of the Time for Change Coalition, we’ve continued to campaign for a trail hunting ban in the UK, the removal of legal loopholes that enable illegal hunting, and tougher penalties on those who break the law.
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.
In March 2026, the UK Government launched a consultation on trail hunting, which will consider a range of evidence and views on the issue. The outcome could bring us one step closer to making hunting wild animals a thing of the past.
It has been more than 20 years since the landmark ban on hunting, yet we continue to see wild animals suffer, being chased to exhaustion and killed by packs of hounds. The UK government made a manifesto commitment to ban trail hunting and with the strong support of the public, we now have the opportunity to finally consign this bloodsport to the history books.
Is drag hunting a more humane alternative?
We’re opposed to any sport that causes suffering to animals, and believe that the use of wild animal scent is unnecessary, as other options exist.
For those who enjoy riding with hounds, legitimate equestrian activities like drag hunting or clean boot hunting offer more humane alternatives.
What is drag hunting and clean boot hunting?
Drag hunts follow a pre-laid artificial scent trail around a designated area of the countryside. A person drags a material soaked in an artificial scent, such as aniseed, which the dogs then follow.
Clean boot hunts follow the scent of a person, who runs ahead along a pre-planned route. This is also called “hunting the clean boot”.
It's unlikely that foxes or other wild animals will be accidentally chased and killed during either drag or clean boot hunts, as the hounds aren’t trained to follow an animal-based scent.
How could the Hunting Act be improved?
Although fox hunting is illegal, the Time for Change Coalition has serious concerns about whether the law works in practice.
We believe that the 2004 Hunting Act could be improved in a number of areas, including:
- Tightening the law by banning trail hunting, removing exemptions in the Hunting Act, and prohibiting the use of animal-based scents;
- Requiring dogs to be kept under proper control and considering a restriction on the number of dogs that can be used;
- Improving enforcement provisions: tougher penalties, extending time limits for investigations, reversing the burden of proof, and introducing an offence of vicarious liability, where an employer is held liable for the wrongdoing of an employee.
Frequently asked questions
-
Yes. Fox hunting is illegal under the Hunting Act in England and Wales and the Wild Mammals Protection Act in Scotland.
-
Fox hunting was banned in England and Wales in 2004, and in Scotland in 2002.
-
Currently, the maximum penalty under the Hunting Act is a fine, but there is no provision for custodial sentences. People caught hunting wild mammals with dogs are sometimes prosecuted for other offences that carry prison sentences, such as causing unnecessary suffering to a dog used in hunting, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
-
Yes. Trail hunting was established as a legal alternative to fox hunting by hunt organisers following the ban in 2004. However, trail hunting is used by some hunts as a cover for illegal hunting.
