HUNT saboteurs in Somerset say the government's proposal to ban trail hunting is ‘long overdue’.

However, the British Hound Sports Association has slammed the proposed ban on the centuries old tradition calling it “unnecessary” and “punitive”.

The government announced on Monday, December 22, that trail hunting in the UK will be banned in 2026.

Trail hunting mimics a traditional hunt where hounds follow a pre laid animal scent across the countryside on foot or horseback.

Hunting involving animals has been banned since the 2004 Hunting Act was introduced more than 20 years ago.

In the policy paper, the government say that trail hunting could be used to facilitate illegal hunting by being used as a “smokescreen to obscure intention and enabling the inevitable chasing of animals.”

It adds: “The use of large packs of hounds can put wild mammals, household pets and even members of the public at risk.”

In December 2025, drone footage from the Somerset Hunt Saboteurs showed an alleged illegal fox hunt by members of the former Taunton Vale Harriers.

A licensed drone operator filmed the activities, which the saboteurs said showed a dismounted huntsman ‘actively pursuing the fox on foot, alongside his hounds’ and a ‘terrier man’, with a master on horseback watching from the other side of a ditch.

A spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs, said: “The recent horrific Vale of Taunton & Banwell Harriers footage, captured in Somerset is a very clear example of how hunts are continuing to chase and kill animals under the current Hunting Act.

“A ban is long overdue to end the savage cruelty caused by hunting with hounds. We will wait to see the outcome of the consultation, but it is clear that far stronger measures are urgently needed to protect wildlife.”

“Over the last twenty years we have learnt that hunters will stop at nothing to pursue their bloodlust – we therefore anticipate that there will be more work to do even when legislation has passed.”

In rebuttal, a spokesperson for the British Hound Sports Association, said: “A ban on trail hunting would be unnecessary and punitive, targeting a lawful and regulated rural activity without evidence that existing law and enforcement are failing. Trail hunting already operates within a clear regulatory framework.

“In Somerset, the consequences would be felt immediately. BHSA survey data shows that more than 11,000 hounds and around 8,000 horses are currently maintained by member hunts nationwide, many kept solely because trail hunting operates within a lawful framework. Removing that framework would put animals, jobs and rural businesses at risk for no clear public benefit.

“Trail hunting underpins a significant rural economy, supporting farriers, vets, feed suppliers, grooms, pubs and other small businesses that rely on it remaining lawful and well regulated. For many rural communities, it is part of the social fabric as well as the local economy.

“Any change in the law should be grounded in evidence and a proper understanding of how rural activities operate in practice, particularly in counties such as Somerset.”