A ban on trail hunting on land owned by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will continue despite a criminal conviction for a director of a foxhounds group in England being overturned. NRW decided to introduce a ban on trail hunting, which simulates illegal traditional hunting, on its land last November.
It felt there was a lack of confidence about how trail hunting could be overseen following the conviction of the then director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, Mark Hankinson, for encouraging illegal fox-hunting while presenting a webinar to an audience including police officers, lawyers and a member of the House of Lords in August 2020.
NRW board members were also worried about the resources that would be required to ensure that trail hunting would be carried legally and in accordance with conditions. Another consideration was the view of rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths who wanted NRW to consider a permanent trail hunting ban on Welsh Government-owned land.
