The government’s move to ban trail hunting has been branded “virtue signaling” by rural activists, who warn that the new animal welfare strategy prioritizes ideology over evidence and risks harming agriculture, wildlife and rural communities.
The strategy supports plans laid out in Labour’s manifesto, including banning trail hunting and making trapping illegal. The Countryside Alliance said it supported the highest standards of animal welfare, but warned that reforms must be based on science and proportionality, rather than symbolic bans.
The Alliance said the measures outlined could have far-reaching local implications if pushed forward without proper evidence. It warned that farmers, rural areas and biodiversity could all be negatively affected.
As the government consults on the proposals, the group said it will continue to work with ministers to ensure future policies deliver real benefits for people, animals and wildlife.
The alliance argued that blanket bans rarely improve outcomes and are often driven by emotion and ideology rather than evidence. He warned that the strategy amounted to little more than “virtue signaling” and risked having unintended and harmful consequences.
He also questioned why the strategy would target a practice that was already regulated, citing the example of puppy farming, which was banned several years ago and was subject to widespread regulation in 2018. The alliance said further legislation risks duplication rather than meaningful improvements.
The Alliance raised similar concerns about the proposed hare ban, warning that it would not increase populations but weaken fox regulations. That could further threaten vulnerable species such as the great sandpiper and lapwing, the report said.
While the Alliance supported higher welfare standards, it warned that they were meaningless without meeting import rules. The report said government promises on food security will ring hollow unless trade policy reflects the same standards.
The Alliance argued that higher welfare rules risked exporting British agriculture overseas if imports were not held to comparable standards. The result will be increased reliance on imported food, causing further damage to already struggling domestic producers, the report said.
The alliance said farmers need a level playing field and long-term stability to invest. Instead, he warned that the future of family farming is becoming increasingly uncertain due to rising costs, declining incomes, market distortions and new tax pressures.
He also accused the government of ignoring existing animal welfare laws, pointing to the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which introduced the five freedoms almost 20 years ago. The paper said the priority now should be enforcement, not legislation.
Regarding trail hunting, the Alliance said the proposed ban was contradictory, pointing out that hunters adopted the practice after being directed to do so under the Hunting Act 2004. Despite the bill being enacted after more than 700 hours of debate, the same evidence is once again being ignored, the alliance said.
The Alliance warned that by seeking to ban the very practices that governments once instructed people to follow, they risk repeating past mistakes of replacing evidence-based policy with political symbolism and leaving the countryside to deal with the consequences.
