An anti-fox hunting group has welcomed a Government Bill which could the see the end of loopholes used by hunters and their hounds to pursue foxes.
Glasgow Hunt Saboteurs have been campaigning against loopholes in existing law which sees hunting groups use hounds to pursue the creatures. The group have also actively attended hunts in Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire for years in an attempt to stop people from illegally using hounds to kill foxes.
Current law dating back to 2002 states that foxes are not to be killed by hunting hounds, but instead they can only be flushed out from cover by the dogs to be shot. Many have seen this a loophole that allows hunting with hounds in all but name.
However, after the Hunting with Dogs Bill was published by the Scottish Government on Friday many believe it will extremely limit hunters in acting illegally. The new law would mean that it is an offense to hunt with more than two hounds and the definition of hunting is extended to ‘flushing, stalking and searching’.
READ MORE: Kelso Buccleuch Hunt fox footage reported to police
In an open statement by Glasgow Hunt Saboteurs, they described the Bill as ‘monumental’ but recognised that loopholes may still be possible.
A spokesperson said: “Two decades, hunt saboteurs and other anti-blood sport groups have been shouting into the void that the 2002 law wasn’t enough, that loopholes were being exploited and hunts in Scotland were continuing to use dogs to savage wildlife, with impunity.
“The Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire Foxhounds have repeatedly demonstrated their intent over the years, by deliberately killing foxes with hounds, not having gunmen in any meaningful position, and assaulting those shining a beacon on what’s really going on.
“This Bill is proposed to replace the 2002 Act, with significantly tighter legislation that could very well see the end of traditional fox hunting in Scotland, for real this time.
“We have to be realistic, there will be a slew of attempts to undermine this Bill, and the hunting community will do their damndest to poke and stretch new loopholes and changes will be made before and if it comes into effect. But let’s get one thing clear, this is huge for making gains and is more than a step in the right direction.”
Glasgow Hunt Saboteurs are not the only ones who think the new legislation may still allow loopholes though. Yesterday, after the Bill was published the SNP and Greens had a public disagreement regarding the new legislation.
SNP environment minister Mairi McAllan said the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill would ensure there was “no place” for hunting with dogs north of the border.
But the Greens said the Bill was “tinkering around the edges”, failed to deliver a “watertight ban”, and risked creating a new loophole to let “this bloodthirsty practice” continue.
Scottish Labour also warned the Bill would “license cruelty”.
READ MORE: SNP and Greens clash over new plan to stop fox hunting
However, Ms McAllan insisted the Bill was intended on closing the loopholes while preventing new ones from opening.
The Scottish Countryside Alliance described the new legislation as an ‘unnecessary and unjustified attack on rural Scotland’.
Despite this, there can still be licenses granted allow the use of more than two hounds, with the same laws that state they can only be used for flushing out the animal to carry out ‘pest control’.
The Glasgow Hunt Saboteurs believe that the activity has never fully been about pest control, but instead about the 'spectacle over the hunt and kill'.
They added: “We’re anxiously optimistic that these licenses will be laborious to obtain under strict regulation, but it would be naïve to say this doesn’t warrant concern.
"Two hounds is not a viable option to foster excitement and be central to what is, at the end of the day, a business built on the thrill of the pursuit.
"If hunts are forced to do what they’re supposed to have been doing all along - legal ‘pest’ control - by sticking to a small definitive area where it has been proven that foxes are causing ‘significant damage’, then that’s the fun sucked right out of their day.”
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