Back in 2021, the judge in the R v Mark Hankinson case described trail hunting as ‘a sham and a smokescreen’. He said that over half of the hunts registered with the Masters of Foxhounds Association were encouraged to use ‘the mirage of trail laying to act as cover for old fashioned illegal hunting’.  

This case, and the public outcry that it sparked, prompted Forestry England, Natural Resources Wales and, the National Trust to suspend trail hunting on their land. However, the previous Government did not follow suit and still permitted trail hunting on Ministry of Defence land.  

In November 2021, when questioned directly about this, the then Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, said:  

‘Trail and drag hunting on the Defence estate remain legal activities providing they are carried out within the provisions of the Hunting Act 2004. A range of people and activities are allowed access to the MOD estate subject to appropriate controls.’    

After that, Ministers were repeatedly asked to ban trail hunting on government land. However, they continued to defend it because it retains ‘important traditions as part of the fabric of rural life without harming wildlife’. This is despite the judge in the R v Mark Hankinson case finding that the exact opposite was true; trail hunting is a ‘smokescreen’ which allows wildlife to be harmed. 

Jump forward to 2024, and I am proud that my Labour colleagues and I have been elected on a manifesto which committed to banning trail hunting entirely. 

When asked about trail hunting on Ministry of Defence land, the new Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle, has confirmed that: ‘No licences have yet been issued for trail hunting on the Ministry of Defence Estate for the 2024–2025 season.’ 

This is positive news, and a clear improvement on the previous Government.   

More broadly, the new government has been asked multiple times when it will bring forward legislation to ban trail hunting altogether. Ministers have been providing the same response:  

‘The Government is committed to enacting a ban on Trail Hunting, and work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing. Further announcements will be made in due course.’ 

I want to see trail hunting banned as soon as possible, just as I did three years ago after the R v Mark Hankinson case. I therefore hope that the new Government will act to end trail hunting as soon as possible. 

I can assure you that I will continue to push for this in Parliament.