‘THE result of the motion 7600 in the name of Mairi McAllan is Yes, 90, and No, 30. There were no abstentions. The motion is therefore agreed and the Hunting with Dogs Scotland Bill is passed.”
That was the announcement of Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone as a round of applause rang out across the oak and sycamore desks of the Scottish Parliament’s debating chamber, 20 years after the first bid to outlaw the hunting of foxes and other wild mammals with packs of hounds – with MSPs backing the move hoping this will be watertight legislation.
Not all are so optimistic that it will. The Hunting with Dogs Scotland Bill replaced the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act, which limited the use of dogs to a set of exceptional criteria including livestock protection, pest control and the condition that animals are shot after being flushed from cover.
