For years, trail hunting has been defended as a harmless rural pastime — a neat workaround introduced after the 2004 fox‑hunting ban. But the truth has always been far messier. The UK Government has now confirmed plans to ban trail hunting entirely, citing overwhelming evidence that it has been used as a smokescreen for illegal fox and wildlife hunting. This is more than a policy update. It’s a long‑overdue acknowledgement of what animal‑protection groups, monitors, and vegans have been saying for decades: cruelty dressed up as tradition is still cruelty. Trail Hunting: A “Legal” Loophole That Never Was Trail hunting…