Fears trail hunting ban would have a devastating impact on the rural economy with 1,000 jobs at risk

Trail hunting was introduced after fox hunting was banned more than 20 years ago, as an alternative to hounds chasing foxes. It mimics a traditional hunt, with hounds following an animal scent which has been laid and hunters trailing the pack on horseback.

But ministers say that trail hunting is sometimes used as a "smokescreen" for illegal fox hunting and so needs to end.

The Countryside Alliance claims a trail hunting ban represents an "attack on rural life" and argue that trail hunting is a legitimate, lawful alternative to traditional hunting and already governed by the Hunting Act 2004.

The organisation is urging those in favour of trail hunting to fill in an online form lobbying MPs to vote against the ban and say it risks the loss thousands of jobs in rural economies, with hunting contributing £100m a year to the economy.

There are 12,000 hounds across England and Wales, each of which employ huntsmen and kennel workers, who face being put out of work by the Government’s looming ban.

The ban would also impact groomers, farriers and rural vets who tend to hunt horses, and more widely, a ban could financially impact rural village hubs, such as pubs, shops, and bed and breakfasts that rely on hunting events and tourism.

With less than a month until the consultation ends, GB News visited the Bedale Hunt Kennels in North Yorkshire to find out the impact that eroding this part of British culture would have on the countryside's economy.

Sandy Wilson, 56, is a Kennel Huntsman, for the Bedale Hunt and has cared for hounds for the last 40 years.

He told GB News: "Hounds are just a wonderful animal, they belong in a pack, and they love what they do, it breaks my heart to think about what would happen to them if trail hunting was banned."We've already had one hunting ban, we've adjusted to it. We've got our own police policing us - the British Home Sports Association - everything is working, so why break something?

"If trail hunting was banned, the hunt produces a house for me and my wages to make a living for my family. I've only ever known this job, and it'd be like putting me in a big wide world. The hunt totally looks after me and it's just the impact of just losing everything would be too much to bear.

"It's not a nice feeling to worry about the future every day. I've only ever known this to suddenly have to go and find some other sort of work, it's just like getting a carpet pulled from underneath you."

The Bedale Hunt has existed since 1842 and has a long legacy in North Yorkshire and has provided a fallen stock service to farmers within the hunt boundaries for as long as it has existed.

Ross Crawford is a farrier and Master Huntsman at Bedale Hunt, but does not take a wage for his role caring for the hounds.

He told GB News: "I'm in charge of the hounds, breeding and the day to day running of the kennels, and, uh, just making sure that the hunt runs as smoothly as they possibly can.

"It's great to be out there in the countryside with the hounds that have been bred for hundreds of years and to whom I love. I don't honestly want to think about what would happen to the hounds if trail hunting was banned - their future is so unknown.

"We know the hounds individually. We know we know the how they're going to behave and react, and if we tell them not to do something, they do that they stop straight away. So the answer to your question is, you know, do foxes still get pursued? Do accidents happen? Yes they do. But we are there to intervene, to stop that from happening. So I can safely say in the whole time I've been here, there hasn't been an accident happened.

"But for trail hunting to be banned, it would be devastating to the hounds, to the people, to the communities, to the rural businesses, to my business personally. I mean, you know, this isn't my real job. I'm a farrier by trade and 60 per cent of my work are hunt horses.

"My message to the government would be just leave the countryside alone. Let country people do what we've done for hundreds of years. I do think they have bigger priorities than coming out against the countryside again and coming out against trail hunting."Horses hunt alongside hounds, and their care helps keep vets in business.

Caroline Blakiston is a Veterinary Surgeon at Hambleton Equine Clinic, and there are three hunts in the area that her practice look after horses for during hunting season. She said: "These horses are essentially bred to be hunters and it's all they've ever known - it's their lifestyle, they're looked after by the hunt to a really high standard, and without the hunt there, they wouldn't exist.

"There's a there's a lot of people that that keep a hunter or keep a string of hunters just, just in order to partake in trail hunting, and that's a generational thing as well. They might have ponies for their children for the same reason.

"So the impact of a ban on trail hunting from that perspective would be significant on a business like ours. From the veterinary profession perspective, we are in challenging times at the moment.

"People don't have the spare money to spend on healthcare for their animals that they would do ordinarily, and in addition to that, a ban on trail hunting would take away quite a significant part of our of our revenue stream.

"I think the Government probably don't understand the impact on the wider rural community. It's not just the hunt and the hounds and the horses that live at the kennels.

"It's all the horses that are kept for the purpose of trail hunting, and it's all the industries that are related to that the farriers, the feed merchants, the bedding suppliers and the impact on all of them."

Grooms that care for horses that take part in hunts would also potentially lose their livelihoods and homes if trail hunting was banned.

Abigail Dixon, Stud Groom for the Bedale Hunt, told GB News: "I have eight horses in during the season and I do everything in terms of feeding, exercise, turn out, welfare and veterinary things.

"It's what I get up every day for. It's my whole life. I live on site to ensure the horses are in the best condition and if something goes wrong, I'm literally 200 yards away.

"If trail hunting was banned, I would lose my home. My job is a is a package deal that comes with my house and my bills and the employment. If I moved back home, I wouldn't be able to walk out my front door and take my dogs down the country lane or live the rural way of life.

"Rural pubs across the country also benefit from the custom of hunts. The Black Horse in Kirby Fleetham, North Yorkshire, has welcomed the Bedale Hunt through its doors since the 1800s.

Chantel Towle, the General Manager at the pub told GB News: "We've had a relationship with the hunt for many, many years. They're friendly, they're funny, the hounds are great, the horses are beautiful.

"It's hard in our industry - pubs are closing every single day. We're one of the only places still left. If you just look at the village itself, we've got no school left, we've got no shop. We're the only local pub still surviving, and we've got the hunt, which is a social gathering. We're like the last man standing.

"We wouldn't have their trade like many other rural pubs, if trail hunting was banned.

"We wouldn't have the charity events that they also help out with, we wouldn't have the youth groups that they provide. We wouldn't have the beautiful sight of the horses and the hounds.

"I think it would isolate many people. The pub, the hunt, we work together in a way. It stops rural isolation and that's really a big part of mental health these days."

The Countryside Alliance opposes the trail hunting ban and has launched a campaign to urge MPs to vote against it.

The organisation say hunting is the social glue that keeps rural communities together and that it plays an important role in the rural economy, providing direct employment and supporting many other associated businesses which benefit those beyond the hunting community.

Polly Portwin, Director of the Campaign of Hunting, Countryside Alliance, told GB News: "We've got an e-lobby taking place at the moment and we're trying to encourage as many supporters of hunting as possible to sign the future for hunting lobby, as a joint campaign between the Countryside Alliance and the British Hound Sports Association.

"We're encouraging people to let the government know that they oppose the ban on trail hunting. It has made U-turns in the past, and we're making the strongest case possible to protect hunting future and say that there's no need to legislate any further.

"Trail hunting forms a huge part of rural communities. There are people who have devoted their lives to their packs of hounds. They have developed. They've adapted since their hunting out came into force.

"Trail hunting is worth £100 million for rural economy, that's not an insignificant sum. It's people's homes, it's people's jobs. It's their livelihoods. It's their whole lives.

"We've got over 200 packs of hounds acting legitimately, going out, doing what they should be doing, what the government asked us to more than 20 years ago. The government need to leave us alone."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the government wanted other alternative hunt activities to "continue to thrive".That includes drag hunting, which uses a fixed course where the hounds often follow an artificial scent like aniseed, and clean boot hunting, where bloodhounds chase the scent of runners they mingle with before they set off.

A Defra spokesman said: “This government has made a clear commitment to ban trail hunting due to concerns about how it is being practiced. We understand that this is a complex issue and we want to make sure all those with an interest have the opportunity to shape how we bring this forward.

“We recognise that hunting is important to those who enjoy this pursuit and alternative practices, such as drag hunting and clean boot hunting, are intended to remain unaffected under the plans."

To find out more about the consultation, which ends on 18th June, and how to join the Countryside Alliance in opposing the trail hunting ban, click here - https://www.countryside-alliance.org/trail-hunting-consultation-2026