Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone today highlighted the Scottish Government’s inactivity over a proper fox hunting ban, three years after the SNP group at Westminster voted against attempts to relax the ban in England and Wales. [1]
As the hunt season resumes following the Autumn harvest, Alison has lodged a motion at Holyrood calling on Scottish Ministers to “urgently bring forward legislation”. [2]
Ms Johnstone, who is developing proposals for a member’s bill to enforce a ban, said: “The changing of the season marks the resumption of a cruel activity that the public thought had been banned. 3 years after SNP MPs at Westminster stopped the Tories watering down the law in England, we’re still waiting for SNP Ministers in Edinburgh to commit to tightening the law in Scotland. An iconic wildlife species faces persecution while the SNP drags its feet.
“16 years after the passing of the Protection of Wild Mammals Act, mounted fox hunting continues in Scotland. The Scottish Government proposal of a voluntary code of practice is inadequate. They must urgently bring forward legislation to deliver a real ban, or Scotland’s reputation as a progressive, modern country will be tarnished.”
[1] SNP will vote to keep English fox hunting legislation (BBC News, July 2015):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
[2] Motion lodged in parliament by Alison Johnstone:
That the Parliament notes that, 16 years after the passing of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, mounted fox hunting continues in Scotland; believes that the many “exceptions” to the offence of hunting a wild mammal with a dog act as loopholes, which allow mounted fox hunting to continue much as it did prior to the legislation; considers that the Scottish Government process of reviewing the Act has failed to result in meaningful progress; believes that the Scottish Government proposal of a voluntary code of practice for fox control is inadequate; considers that a legislative, rather than voluntary, route is required to end what it sees as animal suffering as a result of fox control, and calls on the Scottish Government to urgently bring forward legislation that would ban fox hunting.
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