DOZENS of Wellington area residents have signed a petition joining more than 91,000 people across the country urging the government to drop the proposed ban on trail hunting.

They are voicing their opposition in response to the government consultation which closed last week, and well as sending a clear message to Westminster that rural communities have had enough, say political campaigning organisation the Countryside Alliance.

As well as the Countryside Alliance, other rural groups included the Jockey Club, the National Farmers Union, the Country Land & Business Association (CLA), the Farmers Union of Wales and various vet and farrier associations have also responded to the consultation.

The government's consultation on its proposed ban on trail hunting ran for twelve weeks, and closed last Thursday (June 18) at midnight.

The Countryside Alliance has been suggested that this was the largest consultation response to Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in modern times, higher even than the badger cull consultation in 2011 that had 65,000 submissions.

It comes after a series of government policies and proposals that have been seen by many as a “war on the countryside”, such as the Family Farm Tax, that saw tractor protests take place across the country, huge hikes to business rates for rural pubs and other hospitality venues, and proposals to restrict game shooting.

Last week, a large crowd protested outside the Defra offices in Westminster, with a banner bearing the slogan “hands off the countryside", ahead of the trail hunting ban consultation closing.

With a change in government leadership now on the horizon, rural campaigners are urging Labour MPs and Keir Starmer's successor as Prime Minister to use the opportunity to reset relations between government and rural communities, and end the “toxic culture war on the countryside".

Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, Tim Bonner, commented: “At the 2024 General Election, many rural voters gave Labour the benefit of the doubt and lent their support to Keir Starmer. The result was a record number of rural Labour seats.

“But within months, that new hope was crushed by a barrage of anti-rural government policies, such as the Family Farm Tax, attacks on game shooting, and the proposed ban on trail hunting.

“It's not too late to reset the relationship, however.

“By stopping the toxic culture war on the countryside, putting an end to the prejudiced and unjustified attacks on the rural way of life, and legislating for rural communities, not against them, the ‘bond of respect’ that Starmer once promised to renew between government and countryside, can perhaps be restored.”

It will be a number of weeks at least until the government is likely to issue their formal response to the trail hunting consultation, the campaigners added. They are urging opponents of the proposed ban to sign up to the Countryside Alliance and British Hound Sports Association joint campaign, Future for Hunting, so that they can stay up to date with the latest developments and be ready to take action when necessary.