Professor John Robertson OBA

From BBC UK Breakfast above, the quick recognition that trail hunting is already banned in Scotland. It was January 2023.

From the Independent today:

The Government is set to ban trail hunting, for fear it is being used as a “smokescreen” for chasing and killing wild animals.Trail hunting mimics a traditional hunt, with dogs following a pre-laid, animal-based scent such as fox urine, while a group of hunters follows the pack on horseback. The activity has remained legal since the 2004 hunting ban came into force, as it did not explicitly involve killing animals such as foxes.

But the Government believes the practice, which has grown in popularity, is being used to cover up illegal fox hunting. It is also believed to put other wild animals at risk of being attacked by hounds, as the pack can accidentally follow other scents. A consultation on the ban, which was a manifesto commitment for the Government, will begin next year, as first reported by the Sunday Mirror.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/trail-hunting-set-to-be-banned-for-fear-it-is-a-smokescreen-for-harm/ar-AA1SJSlz?ocid=BingNewsSerp

The story is getting little coverage and no mentions that it is already banned in Scotland, even in the proudly named The Northern Scot which has just pasted a PA News report blind to developments in Scotland, North or south:

https://www.northern-scot.co.uk/news/national/article/trail-hunting-set-to-be-banned-for-fear-it-is-a-smokescreen-for-harm-146155/