Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Hunting Act 2004 to ban trail hunting.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

We recognise it is possible that dogs may on occasion pick up and follow the scent of live foxes during a trail hunt. Failure to prevent dogs from chasing or killing a fox may be taken as intent to break the law. Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police.

The Government has made a manifesto commitment not to change the Hunting Act.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the Hunting Act to reduce the incidence of foxes being killed; and what steps he is taking to ban trail hunting on Government-owned land.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Our manifesto was clear that no changes will be made to the Hunting Act. The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with dogs, except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act. Those found guilty under the Act are subject to the full force of the law.

Issuing a license or giving permission for trail hunting is an operational matter for the landowner and those organisations with a land lease or agreement in place for Government land.

Found: amending the Hunting Act to reduce the incidence of foxes being killed; and what steps he is taking to ban

I believe that Trail Hunting is a cover for the illegal act of fox hunting to carry on, and think that banning trail hunting would make the countryside much safer for the general public as well as the horses, the hounds, the foxes, the wildlife and the volunteers who police the situation themselves.

Found: Ban Trail Hunting

The National Trust has recently said it will no longer offer licences for trail hunting on their properties. We believe the Ministry of Defence should do the same.

Found: Ban trail hunting on Ministry of Defence property

Found: The Committee notes the Scottish Government's reasons to ban trail hunting is to prevent it being used

Found: Question 4:  Do you agree that the Scottish Government should ban trail hunting?

Found: . - Q3bDo you agree that the Scottish Government should ban trail hunting?

Found: Question 4: Do you agree that the Scottish Government should ban trail hunting?

Found: legislation, •consider a licensing scheme permitting more than two dogs to be used in certain circumstances, •ban