Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Hunting — [David Mundell in the Chair]

25 April 2022 · 4 other contributors · 6,231 words

Opened by Catherine McKinnell Lab Newcastle upon Tyne North

Responding minister: Rebecca Pow

Agriculture & Rural Affairs

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Catherine McKinnell raised concerns about hunting — [david mundell in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Concerns raised about illegal fox and hare hunting despite the Hunting Act 2004
  • Terriermen were present at 78% of hunts, undermining the purpose of trail hunting
  • 115 reported incidents of cub-hunting during the autumn season highlighted

Key requests to Government

Ms Maskell calls on the Minister to ensure that public land is consistently banned from hunting. She suggests amending the Hunting Act 2004 to include a complete ban on trail hunting with no exemptions or loopholes. She also urges the introduction of legislation to simplify justice for animal cruelty cases.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Catherine McKinnell Lab Newcastle upon Tyne North

I am concerned about the subject of e-petitions 552017 and 584076, which relate to hunting. Unfortunately, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea is unable to attend the debate as planned. Ms Maskell is concerned about the continued illegal hunting of foxes and hares despite the Hunting Act 2004. She highlights that terriermen were present at 78% of hunts, undermining the purpose of trail hunting. Additionally, she mentions that there have been 115 reported incidents during the cub-hunting autumn season alone, indicating a systemic issue. The lack of effective penalties for lawbreakers is also highlighted, with Mr Hankinson receiving only £1,000 fine and legal costs of £2,500 despite being convicted.

Other contributors (4)
  • Bill Wiggin Con South Herefordshire

    Bill Wiggin discussed the impact of petitions against hunting and defended trail hunting as a legal alternative. He highlighted the misleading nature of certain petitions that suggest widespread lawbreaking among hunts licensed by Forestry England, noting no convictions under the Hunting Act while operating on their land. He also addressed 'Mini's Law', arguing against banning dogs based on isolated incidents involving domestic cats.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    Asked the Minister to explain why terriermen join hunts if there is no intention to bait foxes and questioned the inconsistency between Forestry England's temporary ban on hunting access and MOD's stance. Also highlighted a landmark ruling under the Dangerous Dogs Act involving an attack on another animal.

  • Robert Goodwill

    Does she agree that it is possible—perfectly possible—and reasonable to hunt within the law, using trail hunting, and that therefore, although we condemn a situation in which the law has been broken, it is possible to carry out this activity within the law and indeed the legislation allows for that? The hon. Lady is being very generous in giving way again. Does she agree that if she had her way, then—given that foxhounds do not make good family pets—thousands of foxhounds up and down the country would have to be destroyed humanely, because the hunts could not afford to keep them if they did not have their participation in the trail hunting? Critiqued Labour for campaigning against privatisation of the Forestry Commission while opposing public access to land for legal hunting, and emphasised the economic importance of hunting in rural communities.

  • Ruth Jones Lab Newport West and Islwyn

    E-petition 552017 received over 104,000 signatures calling for a stop to Forestry England issuing licences for trail hunting. E-petition 584076 received more than 101,000 signatures seeking greater protection for pets and animals from hunts following the mauling of Mini the cat. Despite the Hunting Act 2004, foxhunting continues under the guise of trail hunting with 34 licences issued in 2019-20 by Forestry England.

Government Response

Rebecca Pow

It is a pleasure to have you in the Chair, Mr Mundell, and I want to thank hon. Friends and Members. There is only a small crowd in the Chamber, but we have had some quite feisty views and some friendly but opposing views. I thank those involved from the Petitions Committee as well. Today's debate relates to two petitions that have been signed by enough people to secure a debate. The issue is obviously an important one for us to discuss. I will start with the Hunting Act 2004. The Act makes it an offence to hunt a wild animal with dogs, except when it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act, and it completely bans hare coursing. The penalty for illegal hunting is an unlimited fine, and the Government take all wildlife crime extremely seriously. Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. Between 2005 and 2019, 887 individuals were prosecuted under the Act, of whom 514 individuals were found guilty, so, in its present form, the Act is fit for purpose and is being enforced. Trail hunting is a legal recreational activity following a pre-laid trail. The data that we have received suggests that it is being carried out in the right way; where it is not, it obviously needs to be cracked down on. Issuing a licence or giving permission for trail hunting is an operational matter for the landowner; DEFRA does not play a role. The first petition relates to the Forestry Commission in England. Trail hunting in the nation's forests was suspended by Forestry England following a police investigation leading to the conviction of a former director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association. It remains suspended until the Forestry England board takes a decision on its future, which is for that board to do. I want to touch on the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for North Herefordshire, who spoke as a true countryman with great experience and knowledge. He does not himself hunt—nor do I—but his expertise in rural affairs is very important when we are talking about these issues. The Government are committed to the highest standards of animal welfare, and clearly many people in this country support the direction we are taking on animal welfare. We published our action plan for animal welfare in May 2021, which lays out the breadth of animal and conservation reforms that the Government are taking forward to ensure high standards of welfare for all animals. The passing of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 delivered on the Government's manifesto commitment to introduce tougher penalties for animal cruelty. The Act's new maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine will apply to animal cruelty offences, including causing unnecessary suffering, and is a significant step forward in improving animal welfare. The hon. Lady makes a valid point about the recent appeal being refused. Judge Simon Carr said that it was quite sure these dogs were dangerously out of control and the appeal against conviction was refused, which is very strong and rightly so. We will not change our mind about amending the Hunting Act as we now have a manifesto commitment not to do so. Forestry England has responded to breaches of its trail hunting permissions, and all trail hunting on its land is currently suspended. It is an operational matter for Forestry England to decide how it wants to proceed. Protection for members of the public and their companion animals is already covered by several appropriate pieces of legislation, including the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

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