North Yorkshire Council has said that it “can’t confirm” whether or not trail hunting takes place on its land but is “not aware” of formalised hunting taking place on its properties.

At the first full meeting of North Yorkshire Council on Wednesday, May 17, Cllr Rich Maw asked whether the authority held a register of trail hunts taking place in the county and whether trail hunting takes place on council-owned land.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, the authority’s executive member for finance and assets, said the council did not hold a register of trail hunts taking place and added that while he could not confirm whether or not trail hunting takes place on council land, he said the authority is “not aware of any formalised trail hunting”.

The hunting of foxes with dogs was banned in the Hunting Act 2004 but the law does allow for trail hunting, which is intended to replicate traditional fox hunting. This usually happens by following a scent along a predetermined route with hounds or beagles.

Cllr Maw, who represents the Weaponness and Ramshill division in Scarborough, also asked whether the council has a register of all the land it owns.

Executive member for finance, Cllr Dadd, said: “Each predecessor council has a register of land holdings which form the basis of the North Yorkshire-wide council register.

“The accuracy of the data, however, will be dependent on each of the predecessor councils and work has commenced to validate the data provided and compile a single register for the North Yorkshire Council.”

With regard to the use of council land for trail hunting, Cllr Dadd said: “Basically, we can’t confirm whether it takes place or not but we’re not aware of any formalised trail hunting.”

Cllr Maw responded by stating: “It would appear that this council is unaware or perhaps unwilling to recognise that illegal hunting takes place across its land.”

Speaking at the council’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Maw said: “Trail hunting is a legal sport but it is right and proper that members and the wider public are aware of which areas of council-owned lands are hunted, given that in recent years trail hunting has suffered some serious setbacks.

“There remains much scepticism as to the management of trail hunting and allegations of cub hunting, reported kills, road interference, railway trespass, livestock worrying, domestic animal worrying, and horse and hound welfare are on the surge.”

He added: “In North Yorkshire alone, it has been reported that hunt havoc and illegal hunting is persistent and those statistics are compiled by the League Against Cruel Sports.”

However, the economic benefits of trail hunting have also been highlighted by local politicians.

The member of parliament for Scarborough and Whitby has previously defended trail hunting because of the “important economic impact that legal hunting has in rural communities”.

Speaking during a debate in the House of Commons in April 2022, Sir Robert Goodwill MP said: “The farriers, the horse breeders, the people who service the horseboxes—a whole variety of people—rely on legal hunting for their incomes and livelihoods.

“If we were to ban trail hunting more widely, people would be put out of work as a direct result.”