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Trail hunting is set to be banned in England and Wales as part of a new animal welfare strategy to be published by the government on Monday.
The practice sees an animal-based scent trail laid for dogs to follow rather than a real animal, while a group of hunters follows the pack on horseback.
It has remained legal since the 2004 hunting ban came into force, because it does not explicitly involve the killing of animals.
The government says it is acting on a manifesto commitment to outlaw a practice being used as a “smokescreen” for the hunting of wild animals. But hunting and countryside bodies say the move was unnecessary and could hurt rural communities.
Hunting with hounds has been a tradition in parts of the UK for centuries, but the 2004 Hunting Act placed restrictions on the practice.
The act banned the use of dogs to hunt wild mammals – including foxes, hares, deer and mink – across England and Wales.
Trail hunting involves laying a trail using a rag soaked in animal scent for hounds to chase. The intention is to replicate the pursuit of an animal across the countryside, without the need to kill anything.
In April, ant
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