Trail hunting is set to be banned in England and Wales as part of a new animal welfare strategy to be published by the government on Monday.
The practice sees an animal-based scent trail laid for dogs to follow rather than a real animal, while a group of hunters follows the pack on horseback.
It has remained legal since the 2004 hunting ban came into force, because it does not explicitly involve the killing of animals.
However the government, which made a manifesto commitment to bring in the ban, says the practice is being used as a “smokescreen” for the hunting of wild animals.
Hunting with hounds has been a tradition in parts of the UK for centuries, but the 2004 Hunting Act placed restrictions on the practice.
The act banned the use of dogs to hunt wild mammals – including foxes, hares, deer and mink – across England and Wales.
Trail hunting involves laying a trail using a rag soaked in animal scent which hounds can chase. The intention is to replicate the pursuit across the countryside, without the need to kill animals.
In April, anti-hunting group the League Against Cruel Sports said that nearly 1,600 incidents, including 397 reports of foxes being chased, were recorded nationwide during the last hunting season.
The chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, Tim Bonner, said revisiting the issue of trail hunting was “completely unnecessary”.
He said: “It is unbelievable that the government wants to waste more parliamentary time on hunting.
“This issue was settled 20 years ago as far as Labour was concerned but it does not seem to be able to leave it alone.”
Mr Bonner also spoke about the Labour party’s relationship with rural constituents, adding: “People across the countryside will be shocked that after Labour’s attack on family farms and its neglect of rural communities it thinks banning trail hunting and snares used for fox control are a political priority.”
The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) has previously said trail hunts are “vital” to rural communities as they not only bring in money into the rural economy, but also support mental and physical wellbeing.
One farmer told the : “I would be shunned if I publicly rejected hunting.”
They added banning trail hunting “reinforces the narrative they [Labour] don’t care and are imposing urban values on people they don’t understand”.
Ministers will consult on the details of the ban in the new year.
The minister for animal welfare, Baroness Hayman said the government would start work on implementing the plans.
“In our manifesto we said we would ban trail hunting, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.
“There are concerns that trail hunting is being used a smokescreen for the hunting of wild animals, and that’s not acceptable.
“We are working out the best approach to take the ban forward and will run a consultation to seek views in the new year”.
Trail hunting is already banned in Scotland. Hunting with dogs remains legal in Northern Ireland.