60 MPs sign open letter calling for a proper ban on fox hunting
Neil Duncan-Jordan, MP for Poole, has urged the government to deliver on its election promise and strengthen the laws against fox hunting before this year’s season begins.
Under the Hunting Act 2004, it is illegal to hunt mammals such as foxes, deer, hares and mink with dogs in England and Wales. But despite the ban, hunts continue to operate, often exploiting legal loopholes, disguising their activities, and causing serious harm.
Duncan-Jordan’s letter to the government has been co-signed by 60 other MPs from across the country, all calling for urgent action before another hunting season begins. Together they are demanding that the government closes the loopholes that have allowed illegal hunting to continue in plain sight for two decades.
The letter calls for new legislation to be drafted swiftly and in collaboration with experts and animal protection organisations to ensure that any future ban is truly watertight.
The evidence is in: hunting never stopped
Protect the Wild’s 2025 Hunting With Hounds report offers the most detailed picture yet of what actually happens in the field. The data covers the 2024/25 hunting season, from July 2024 to April 2025, and draws from saboteur and monitor reports, public submissions, police records, and field observations.
Some of the most troubling findings include:
A total of 1,680 meets were reviewed, and 1,091 (65%) contained a documented incident of wildlife persecution, anti-social behaviour or other rule violations.
Fox persecution remains central, with 384 foxes chased and 27 foxes killed.
Hunting of hares and deer also continues, with 54 hares chased and 4 hares killed, as well as 202 deer chased and 37 deer killed.
Dig-outs (forcing foxes from underground) were witnessed 11 times across 8 hunts.
Hunts were implicated in 439 driving offences, including reckless following and overloaded or untaxed quad bikes.
Road havoc was reported 367 times across 36 counties, showing the danger hunts pose to the public and local communities.
Trespass occurred 332 times, often into private gardens, National Trust land or Forestry England property despite explicit bans.
Aggression and violence remain common, with more than 250 attacks recorded, including 11 serious assaults.
Police involvement remains high, with 297 police units attending 212 meets. Some meets drew multiple units or even helicopter support.
Out of 143 hunts observed, only 6 were seen regularly practising a legal version of trail hunting.
A small number of hunts are responsible for a large share of the cruelty. Eleven hunts accounted for more than half of all documented fox persecution.
These statistics paint a stark picture. In many respects, the behaviour of hunts in 2024 and 2025 was little different from past seasons. The Hunting Act has not ended hunting. It has simply pushed it further out of sight.
Why reform is urgent now
Duncan-Jordan’s call is justified. The scale, repetition, and variety of abuses documented in our report show that this is not a fringe issue. It is systemic, widespread, and ongoing.
Each delay allows more wildlife to suffer, more hunts to operate unchecked, and more rural communities to experience the disruption, danger and cruelty hunts bring.
Our website hunthavoc.info shines a light on all of the havoc caused by hunts across the country.
The problem cannot be blamed on a few rogue packs. With more than half of all hunts observed engaging in persecution or misconduct, there is clear evidence that much of the hunting world treats the law as a suggestion rather than a boundary.
Our report underscores how vital it is to strengthen legislation so it cannot be evaded by loopholes, word games or technical defences.
It cannot go on
We are at a moment of choice. The 2025 season is about to begin, and without action, another cycle of cruelty will unfold. The government must stop pretending the Hunting Act is enough. It is not.
If you believe this should be the final hunting season under the current law, there are ways to act:
Share this report and article so the public and policymakers can see the true scale of the problem.
Write to your local MP using our handy tool demanding a stronger hunting law that bans all cruelty and holds hunts fully accountable.
Sign the petition for a proper ban on hunting and add your name to 210,000 others calling for change
Now is the time to act, before one more wild mammal is chased, harassed or killed in the name of tradition.