Chamber and committees

How does biosecurity work if there is interaction between wild and domestic birds?

So, how will the prosecutions of hare coursing increase if it is not specifically being looked at? How does that relate to the inclusion of rabbits in the bill?

So, which activities?

I have one more small question—

I have a supplementary question about the idea of rough shooting being used as a cover for hare coursing. Can the minister tell the committee at what time of the day and at what time of the year hare coursing happens?

Thank you for reminding me of that. I do not know how many times rough shooting has been mentioned within all the sessions that you have described, other than the last three. However, I also want to ask you about vexatious claims around using rough shooting as a cover for hare coursing. What type of dogs do hare coursers use?

You said that, so far, Northumberland and Cumbria have not been affected. I have a question about how the disease spreads between wild and domestic birds. Why do you think that avian flu has not spread in those areas, which have coastal parts?

Robert Thompson of NFU Scotland has said that avian flu does not stop at the border; in fact, he said that it does not stop at Carlisle. I am sure, too, that you are familiar with what he has said about the need for Scotland to be put on an equal footing in terms of restrictions. However, a question will be asked about that later, so I will not ask it now. Why have there not been clusters in Northumberland and Cumbria, given the size of the wild bird population in those areas?

What is it that you are saying? The idea of it being a cover has been referenced many times. What is rough shooting a cover for?

What could it be a cover for?

A few meetings ago, we heard from Hugh Dignon that the team looked at YouTube videos and googled what rough shooting is. You said that rough shooting is part of the bill and that it had not been overlooked, yet we have had to hold three committee meetings on it because it does seem to have been overlooked. Do you know how rough shooting works? Jim Fairlie talked about quartering and dogs forming a pack. Have you had any experience of that? Have you watched it on YouTube? Do you think that there is a high likelihood that somebody would shoot quarry that another person’s dog had stalked and flushed?