Prior to the General Election, a policy area that was a priority for me was to ensure that our government followed through on our manifesto commitment to close fox hunting loopholes.

Hunting wild animals with dogs is a cruel and barbaric activity that has no place in 21st century Britain. I was very clear about that before the election and my mind has not changed one iota since.

So last week I led a debate where the issues of the current situation were discussed. Hunting with dogs was banned in 2004 by the last Labour government. However, there were exemptions for drag hunting and trail hunting.

Drag hunting is an activity similar to traditional foxhunting, but with a very important difference: instead of hunting a live fox, a scent trail is artificially laid for the hounds to follow. This scent is usually created using a mixture of aniseed and other substances, and it is dragged along a predetermined and publicly promoted route.

Just to be clear, I have absolutely no issues with drag hunting, as the chances of a wild animal being killed during this activity are very small indeed. The organisers work with animal welfare groups and the relationship is a positive one.

Now we come to trail hunting, which was the subject of last week’s debate and which is a very different kettle of fish!

Trail hunting, as it is commonly understood, involves a pack of hounds following a scent trail laid by a human, with the intention that the hounds will follow the trail, rather than chase and kill a wild animal. However, the functional difference between trail hunting and drag hunting is that animal-based scents of traditional hunting quarry are used in trail hunting.

This is usually fox urine, body parts or carcasses from foxes, deer and hares can also be used. This means that often the pack of hounds pick up the scent of a live wild animal during a trail hunt and a chase, and sometimes a kill ensues.

There is now clear evidence that trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen for the illegal hunting of wild animals, including foxes.

I want to be explicit here: when the hound pack catches the fox, its demise is deeply disturbing, brutal and cruel. I fully appreciate that the issue of fox hunting is not a high priority for many people. But these animals have no voice and as I have been a campaigner for animal welfare for a long time, I will continue to press for the government to fulfil our manifesto commitment.

I was delighted that the Minister, in reply to the debate, confirmed that the government will be bringing forward a package of animal welfare measures, including the banning of trail hunting, in a consultation later this year. I believe that the way we treat our wildlife reflects the kind of society we are and the legacy we will leave for future generations. This is a view that is shared by the Labour government.