Petitions to Parliament · 2019 to 2024 Parliament (archived)

Mini’s law - Protect the public and animals from hunting activities

101,996 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 29 April 2021; it closed on 29 October 2021. The Government responded on 24 May 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 25 April 2022.

The petition

The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.

Mini’s law - Protect the public and animals from hunting activities

In March 2021 Mini the cat was chased and killed by hunting hounds in a quiet residential area.

The Government should back Mini’s Law (Public and Animal Safety Bill 2021) to ensure safety to the public and animals from hunting activity, such as trail hunts and exercise of hunting hounds.

There are many incidents involving hunting hounds and the situation is now dangerously out of control. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident with a recent report finding that as of March 2021 there is on average one reported incident every two weeks.

Legislation should be introduced to prohibit any activity involving hunting hounds, such as trail hunts and hound exercise, taking place in a residential area or in any other public place.

The Government's response

The Government published its response on 24 May 2021; the petitions site lists the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as responsible. Its summary:

The police can take action under the Dogs Act 1871 where dogs are out of control and dangerous to other animals. This Government will not amend the Hunting Act.

The response in full:

The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with dogs except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act. The full details of the Hunting Act 2004 exemptions are available online at:

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/37/schedule/1

Those found guilty under the Act are subject to the full force of the law. Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. This Government will not amend the Hunting Act.

The police can and do take action under the Dogs Act 1871 where there are dogs that are out of control and dangerous to other animals. Section 2 of the 1871 Act allows a complaint to be made to a Magistrate’s court by any individual, the police or local authorities, where a dog is “dangerous and not kept under proper control”. The court may make any Order it considers appropriate, to require the owner to keep the dog under proper control, or if necessary, that it be destroyed. The court may specify measures to be taken for keeping the dog under proper control, such as muzzling and remaining on a lead when in public.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Where the signatures came from

Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,376, came from St Ives.

100,720 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,276 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.

Debate in Parliament

MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 25 April 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.

Source and receipt

• https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/584076.json
  UK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256 650c54db5e677777…
• The petition on petition.parliament.uk

The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.