Puppy farming, snare traps and trail hunting to be banned, under new reforms

Puppy farming and trail hunting to be banned - but critics warn of 'war on the countryside' Ministers are introducing a series of new measures to better protect pets and wild animals - but critics warn Labour "simply don't care about rural Britain". Image:Puppy farming will be banned, with the government saying it sees dogs kept in "appalling conditions". Pic: PA Image:Emma Reynolds has said the UK is a "nation of animal lovers". Pic: PA Image:Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said the government "might as well ban walking dogs in the countryside". Pic: PA Monday 22 December 2025 09:42, UK Puppy farms, trail hunting and snare traps are all set to be banned under animal welfare reforms being introduced by the government. Ministers have today unveiled the government's Animal Welfare Strategy, which also takes aim at other measures seen as cruel, such as shock collars, as well as cages and crates for farm animals. But while proposals to improve animals' lives have been welcomed, Labour have been accused of acting like "authoritarian control freaks" for plans to ban trail hunting. This is the practice that sees an animal scent laid through the countryside, which then allows riders and dogs to 'hunt' the smell. Labour banned fox hunting outright in 2004, but Sir Keir Starmer's government has suggested trail hunting is now "being used as a smokescreen for hunting" foxes. Announcing the reforms, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: "This government is delivering the most ambitious animal welfare strategy in a generation. "Our strategy will raise welfare standards for animals in the home, on the farm and in the wild." Under the proposals, puppy farms - large-scale sites where dogs are bred intensively - will be banned. This is because these farms can see breeding dogs kept in "appalling conditions" and "denied proper care", resulting in "long-term health issues", according to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The strategy has also launched a consultation on banning shock collars, which use electricity to sting pets and prevent them from escaping. Other proposals include introducing new licences for rescue and rehoming organisations, promoting "responsible" dog ownership and bringing in new restrictions for farms to improve animal welfare. Read more: How a roundabout could decide the UK's next PMStarmer will absolutely be PM next Christmas These will see bans on "confinement systems" such as colony cages for hens and pig-farrowing crates, while requirements will be brought in to spare farmed fish "avoidable pain". The use of carbon dioxide to stun pigs will also be addressed, while farmers will be encouraged to choose to rear slower-growing meat chicken breeds. In order to protect wild animals, snare traps will be banned alongside trail hunting, while restrictions on when hares can be shot will be introduced. The reforms have been publicly welcomed by multiple animal charities, including the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and World Farming UK, as well as by the supermarket Waitrose. Thomas Schultz-Jagow, from the RSPCA, called...

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