A RECORD-BREAKING petition to ban the controversial hunting of gannets will be kept open for further enquiry.
The Petitions Committee met on Thursday morning to consider the petition, which has attracted more than 112,000 signatures – making it one of the largest the Scottish Parliament has ever seen.
Western Isles MSP Donald MacKinnon faced criticism from campaigners calling for the hunt to be banned, after he said voices within his constituency had been "vilified" and their traditions portrayed as backwards.
The petition calls on the Scottish Government to outlaw the hunt, which has been an annual tradition in Ness, north Lewis since the 15th century. It sees 10 men set out for the rocky island of Sula Sgeir 40 miles away.
While the practice was once linked to survival, campaigners claim it "now continues for tradition’s sake", with young gannet flesh called a “prized delicacy” by supporters.
However, Mackinnon told Holyrood’s petitions committee to reject the petition to ban the hunt, saying the practice has a “deep cultural significance” to the people of Ness.
At a meeting of NatureScot’s board in August, members agreed to refuse the request amidst new evidence that it would harm the Gannet population and undermine the integrity of the Special Protection Area where it takes place.
The decision does not prevent another licence being granted in future.
Campaigners are therefore pushing for the law itself to be changed, bringing a permanent end to Britain’s last seabird hunt.
MacKinnon, who represents the Western Isles constituency including Ness, where the guga hunt has its roots, made a representation to the committee this morning asking for the petition to be shut down.
SNP MSP David Torrance highlighted the significant public interest in the petition across Scotland, arguing that the views of people beyond Ness also had to be considered.
After the meeting, MacKinnon was questioned by a campaigner from Protect the Wild over "his willingness to champion pro-hunt voices while ignoring constituents who had contacted him demanding an end to the guga hunt".
Campaigners said: "Mr MacKinnon responded that he had received more correspondence in support of the hunt than against it. Campaigners pushed back, arguing that his duty is to represent all of his constituents – not simply the loudest or those whose views align with his own position."
Devon Docherty, the campaigner who questioned MacKinnon, said she had been contacted by several Isle of Lewis residents who oppose the guga hunt and feel their views have been ignored by representatives including MacKinnon.
She added that she was pleased with the committee’s decision to keep the petition open: “MSPs made the right decision today. The momentum behind ending the guga hunt has never been stronger, and today’s decision keeps that momentum moving in the right direction.
“There’s a reason this has become one of the biggest petitions in the Scottish Parliament’s history. People are deeply uncomfortable with young gannets being brutally killed for a tradition that belongs in the past and they want to see wildlife being protected, not persecuted.
“But it was frustrating to hear Mr MacKinnon present only one side of this debate, despite constituents opposed to the guga hunt directly asking him to represent their views too. An MSP represents all of their constituents, not only those whose views align with their own.”
The committee will now seek further evidence from a range of stakeholders before considering the petition again at a future meeting.
