The Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee (RAINE) recently published a call for evidence on the draft Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill, by May 13th 2022.
You can find the draft Bill, as introduced, here: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/legislation/bills/s6-bills/hunting-with-dogs-scotland-bill/introduced/spbill12s062022.pdf
A number of SGA members have contacted us, asking for guidance on how they can respond to the Short Survey.
It is entirely up to the individual how they choose to respond to these consultations.
However, in the interest of serving our members, we offer the following guidance for those requiring help to fill in the Consultation.
The Short Survey is a series of multiple choice questions, with a Comment Box at the end.
SGA recommendation:
1. No
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes
5. Yes
6. No
7. Yes
8. No
9. Yes
10. No
11. Yes
12. Either, depending on view
13. Yes
14. No
15. No
16. Either, depending on view
17. No
We recommend that people also use the Comment box at the end.
The SGA comments will be along the following lines. Please feel free to add your own thoughts. This is only guidance.
Comment Box: We don’t support the Bill. It unfairly targets those who have used the existing legislation, legally, for legitimate fox control. The need for the Bill is not well evidenced, neither is the justification for the measures proposed. The use of 2 dogs is simply not workable for legitimate fox control in upland environments such as dense Sitka plantations. If the Bill is to proceed, there must be a flexible and obtainable licensing system introduced which permits the use of more than 2 dogs for those who require the services of trained professional foot packs. If this is not the end result, livestock will be killed through lack of protection and the uphill battle to conserve some of our rarest upland breeding species such as the Curlew will become needlessly harder during a nature emergency. Foxes are not threatened in any way. The things they eat, are. If we are to surrender a very effective tool in predator management (without justification) nature loses, people lose and the Parliament will have been complicit in allowing this scenario to prevail.
Answer the survey, here: https://yourviews.parliament.scot/raine/3e84add6/consultation/intro/
