'I'm terrified trail hunting ban will go through'

"It's terrifying. It's all I know," says Will Gaskell.

Since starting as an apprentice, he has viewed trail hunting as a career for life.

But the likelihood of a ban by the government looks set to shatter the 20-year-old's future with the Worcestershire Hunt.

Widely adopted as a legal alternative to fox hunting - following the 2004 Hunting Act - trail hunting involves hounds following an artificially laid scent.

But its opponents say it is a "smokescreen" for the continued pursuit of foxes.

The future of trail hunting is in doubt after Labour pledged in its 2024 election manifesto to ban the sport.

Following a public consultation over the summer, ministers are expected to announce their next steps this autumn.

"It's terrifying that it could be on the cusp of going, because I'd be jobless," said Gaskell.

"It gives me a life, but it's also all I'd want to do."

The Worcestershire Hunt can trace its history back more than 150 years.

It has survived new laws before. But members say this time is different.

"I've made a career out of it," said huntsman, Simon Jones, who has worked in the industry for more than three decades.

"Obviously we had to change from what it was all those years ago to trail hunting, which is what we do now, but we've been very successful at doing that."

Adrian Ward, the hunt's senior master, said a ban would have consequences beyond those who ride out at meets.

"Local communities, the businesses within those communities, what it offers to the economy, the fate of the hounds - it would be catastrophic," he said.

By following an animal-based scent, trail hunting is meant to be cruelty-free. The law says that if a hunt encounters a real fox, it should be called off.

When the Hunting Act was introduced, then-Prime Minister Tony Blair's government said huntsmen would not be prosecuted if no "intent" could be proved of allowing hounds to chase and kill a fox.

But fast forward to 2026, and the current Labour government has argued the very nature of trail hunting carries an "inherent risk" of dogs chasing a wild animal.

"Trail hunting doesn't exist... It is a smokescreen for fox hunting," said Cathy Scott, a member of the West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs, a campaign group which monitors hunts.

It argues the current system does not work and that wild animals are still regularly chased and caught.

"There are too many loopholes that the hunts get around. It's happening as it ever was," Scott said.

As a saboteur, she is unashamed about trespassing on private land to save a fox or other wild animal.

"We use peaceful methods. We use voice commands, the same as what the hunt use... we use a harmless spray that masks the scent of the hunted animal."

"We're in the open countryside... but we do put everything in place that we can," said Adrian Ward, senior master at the Worcestershire Hunt.

He was emphatic; no wild animals had been killed by his hounds over the past year.

The Countryside Alliance, which campaigns on behalf of the hunting sector, said existing laws are sufficient.

"If hunts break the law, they can perfectly well be charged or prosecuted under the Hunting Act," said Polly Portwin, the alliance's director of campaigning.

"There's no need to change the law as it is."

However, West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs cite recent footage as evidence that hounds are still pursuing foxes.

In one video, taken by Cathy Scott on 10 October near Banbury, a fox can be seen moving along a hedgerow. A couple of minutes later, hounds from the Warwickshire Hunt arrive at the same spot.

In the footage, Scott can be heard shouting, mimicking the calls of a huntsman to distract the hounds. The BBC has verified its time and location.

In a statement, the Warwickshire Hunt said it conducted lawful trail hunting.

A spokesperson said the mere appearance of a fox did not establish an offence had taken place and warned activists shouting could interfere with a huntsman's ability to maintain control of hounds.

The hunt added that it was "particularly concerning" allegations were being promoted by a group that included a man previously convicted of perjury for editing footage.

By the time it closed in June, a public consultation on how best to deliver an effective and enforceable ban on trail hunting had received 184,000 responses.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is expected to publish a summary soon.

"We are committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting that truly protects our countryside, wildlife and rural communities," a DEFRA spokesperson said.

One unresolved question is what would happen to related activities such as drag hunting and clean boot hunting, where hounds follow non-animal-based scents.

For now, both sides are waiting to see whether the government follows through on its manifesto commitment.

But with jobs, traditions and animal welfare all at the heart of the debate, the arguments are intensifying.

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