radiofree.asia

Trail hunters aka ‘fox hunters’ cry over upcoming ban

GB News aired on Boxing Day segment featuring a trail hunter begging for empathy ahead of a potential ban on the cruel practice of fox hunting.

The issue, as many have pointed out, is that ‘trail hunting’ is fox hunting in disguise — a convenient rebrand.

 

A ‘savage’ course of action

Introduced in 2004 after a government ban on fox hunting, trail hunting is hardly a creative work-around. A scent trail is set along a predetermined route to prevent dogs from chasing wild animals. This smokescreen as allowed the illegal practice to continue under a different name…perhaps not for much longer.

We covered this issue earlier this year, highlighting up to 1,600 illegal incidents recorded in 2025 under the guise of ‘trail hunting’.

As a result, Keir Starmer has announced a public consultation on a potential ban on trail hunting to adhere to new animal welfare measures.

GB News asked trail hunter, Amy Aldworth, and her grandfather, about the impact of a potential ban:

I’m in serious trouble if it comes in. It’s my entire life, my business. I employ six people. They’re all gonna be redundant. I’ve got 26 horses in my care, all trail hunting horses. And I do not know what I’m gonna do with them. It makes me feel sick to think that I’m gonna have to turf horses out, turf people out. The devastation it’s gonna cause for working people in the countryside is just heart-breaking. It really, really is.

Aldworth’s grandfather Glyn said:

It’s the lifeblood of the countryside. Hunting, farming, two most important things. It would just be devastation. It affects so many people for absolutely no good reason. We’ve been adapted to this trail hunting. We’re going well. We’ve got used to it now. And it would be just savage. It would be savage if the government were to take this course.

Others have also been quick to point out where the real savagery lies:

And as people have pointed out, fox hunting is about as unpopular in the countryside as it is everywhere else:

‘Hoodwinking’ attempts called out

Others have spoken out online about the impact on daily life and freedoms for locals during trail hunts.

The real working class wouldn’t be welcome

Another X user highlights the class issue surrounding trail hunts and who isn’t fit to take part:

You can still ride to your heart’s content

It would be interesting to know if the same people took issue with Thatcher when she closed down mines and factories, leaving workers scrambling for employment. All that’s being asked of the rich is to stop butchering animals. It’s not exactly a big ask.

Others have also noted that nothing is being done to prevent keeping, riding and training horses, with the glorious English countryside still available to them:

Some countryside campaigners have defended the continuation of trail hunting, arguing that a prohibition would lead to foxhounds being put down.

On a related note, foxhounds should never have been bred in the first place, given the ban on fox hunting.

Yes, it’s incredibly sad that so many dogs have been trained to kill and might have to be destroyed as a result. However, one X user points out that the ‘sport’ is already killing these dogs before they pass the age of six:

Therefore, ending trial hunting will simultaneously end the animal cruelty we see.

The greater good must win out

Cruel, barbaric practices are part of history, but many traditions have been abandoned in the pursuit of humanity and civility, as we better understand their broader impacts. Trail hunting is simply the latest of these, and its overhaul is long overdue.

As another X account points out, cruel practices can often lead to cruel people:

In an ironic twist, trail hunters are appealing to workers who have long been expected to adapt as and when the government of the day expects — urging them to defend this cruel practice.

And if you’re upset about a ban on tearing wildlife apart, the problem isn’t the ban — it’s your inclinations are.

Featured image via Ban Blood Sports

By Maddison Wheeldon

This post was originally published on Canary.