Peter Lazenby
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SCOTLAND has banned trail hunting with dogs and brought in a two-dog limit in a tightening up of laws against fox hunts.
Animal welfare campaigners hailed the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which was passed by 90 votes to 30 by the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday night, as a “monumental day for Scotland.”
Scotland Environment Minister Mairi McAllan said it would have an “immediate effect” by “modernising and strengthening” existing legislation.
She said: “There is no doubt there has been a clear cultural shift in our attitude towards wildlife over the last few decades.
“Practices such as hare coursing, fox hunting, badger baiting and dog fighting, which were once legal activities, and quite unbelievably considered to be spectator sports, are no longer acceptable.
“The chasing and the killing of wild mammals with packs of dogs has no place in modern Scotland.”
Bob Elliot, director of Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind, said the Scottish public have wanted a ban on the cruel “sport” of fox hunting for 20 years.
He said: “After decades of tireless campaigning from ourselves and like-minded organisations and individuals, we finally have that ban.
“Today we have a positive step towards wild animals finally obtaining the respect and basic protections that they deserve.”
Emma Jodd, head of campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “As of today, Scotland has the most robust law anywhere in the UK to prevent the cruelty of chasing and killing wild mammals for sport — and this is something to celebrate.
“The move to ban trail hunting in Scotland is a wake-up call for Westminster to properly end fox hunting once and for all.
“The British government needs to strengthen the Hunting Act, including provisions to ban trail hunting, which hunts use to deceive the public, police and the courts to avoid prosecution.”
But Scottish Labour said the legislation does not go far enough as it will still allow some hunting with dogs under licence and allow hunting with more than two dogs in “limited” circumstances.
Scottish Labour rural affairs spokesman Colin Smyth said: “It won’t close all the loopholes that exist, it won’t end the use of packs of dogs, it merely licenses them.”
The Scottish Tories, who opposed the legislation, said it could be “the final nail in the coffin for many of Scotland’s endangered species.”
