UK Government Overhauls Animal Welfare Strategy To Target Puppy Mills, Caged Farming, And Trail Hunting

The UK government has announced a new animal welfare strategy that aims to ban trail hunting, snares, and puppy mills, and to phase out cages for farm animals.

The full strategy, published last week, described the government’s vision as “clear and uncompromising” in its guarantee of “positive welfare” for all animals. It includes various measures for safeguarding domestic, wild, and farmed animals of all kinds.

Some of the strategy’s key aims include: reforming dog breeding practices by banning puppy farming; consulting on a shock collar ban; consulting on licenses for dog rescue and ownership; phasing out “confinement systems” for farmed animals, including colony cages for hens and farrowing crates for pigs; introducing “humane slaughter requirements” for farmed fish; promoting the use of slow growing chicken breeds; and “addressing the welfare issues” of carbon dioxide “stunning” for pigs.

The animal welfare strategy aims to protect wild animals in the UK by introducing a closed season for hare shooting, which currently happens year-round, and banning snare traps. The strategy also aims to ban trail hunting, “amidst concerns it is being used as a smokescreen” for the hunting of wildlife with dogs, which is illegal.

Despite an existing hunting ban, hunting and related illegality – including extreme violence – have remained commonplace. Trail hunting is already effectively banned in Scotland, and despite pushback from pro-hunt lobbyists, at least 50 percent of rural Britons agree with the newly proposed ban for England and Wales.

‘We’re a nation of animal lovers’

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“We’re a nation of animal lovers. This government is delivering the most ambitious animal welfare strategy in a generation,” said Emma Reynolds, an MP and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

“We’ve already acted to improve zoo standards, end puppy smuggling, and protect livestock from dog attacks,” she added. “Now, we’re planning to ban caged hens, cruel snares, trail hunting, and curb low-welfare dog breeding.”

Welfare groups and charities, including Four Paws, the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Humane World For Animals, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), and more, welcomed the strategy. Anthony Field, the head of CIWF, said the organization “welcomes the Government’s leadership on this and looks forward to working with them to turn these commitments into the much-needed policy changes as soon as possible.”

The government has also now accepted Animal Law Foundation’s interpretation of the 2022 Animal Welfare Act, in that boiling lobsters and other sentient decapods alive is unlawful. The practice is expected to be banned in England.

Trail hunting as a ‘smokescreen’

Photo shows a dog standing on the back of a quad bike. "Terriermen," who often accompany the hunt with a quad bike containing a terrier for digging out wild animals, have been a source of criticism for so-called legal hunting for years. The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA), banned their presence - particularly wearing masks - at all hunts before Christmas — Adobe Stock The British Hound Sports Association banned terriermen on December 17, 2025, but much of the alleged illegal activity that took place on Boxing Day was linked to masked men on quad bikes

The proposed trail hunting ban, in particular, has been widely celebrated. However, it also received criticism from pro-hunt groups. Hundreds of supporters gathered for the Duke of Beaufort’s Boxing Day meet in Tiverton, despite the town council stating that the hunt was not welcome “on Boxing Day, or any other day.”

Will Bryer, the joint master of the Beaufort, told the gathered supporters, “We’re under assault, we’re under siege, and like all fights, it’s going to get messy.”

Bristol Hunt Saboteurs has said that its members witnessed the Duke of Beaufort Hunt kill a fox on December 22, as well as “masked terriermen” attempting to hide the evidence. The terriermen’s presence, particularly in masks, was notably banned by the British Hound Sports Association, hunting’s governing body, a few days earlier.

The Beaufort Hunt also went out on December 27, the day after its Boxing Day meet. Bristol Hunt Saboteurs said that a sab was assaulted by an individual on a quadbike who they believe is linked with the Beaufort Hunt. Bristol Hunt Saboteurs said that both incidents were caught on film and have been reported to the police.

Boxing Day 2025

Earlier this week, Protect the Wild just published a list of reported offences by people linked to various other hunts during this year’s Boxing Day events. It highlights several instances of alleged aggressive behaviour, including both physical aggression in the form of violence and “assault,” and verbal aggression in the form of “hate speech.” There were also myriad reports of hunts chasing wild animals like deer and foxes.

Last year, Protect the Wild found that there were more than 300 incidents of “hunt cruelty, chaos, and criminality” before the hunting season had even begun. In the 2023 to 2024 season alone, nearly 600 wild animals were illegally chased or killed by UK hunts, as well as hundreds of non-quarry animals, such as domestic cats.

Just 29 percent of people in the UK support trail hunting, while nearly as many say they aren’t sure whether it should be banned or not. In contrast to pro-hunt narratives about the sport, nearly 60 percent of Britons say that trail hunting is not economically important to rural communities. Most say that it is not socially important, either.