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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 28 November 2024
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Displaying 5078 contributions

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Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

However, you have also suggested that using two dogs to flush is not an effective way of controlling foxes, because, if it was, it would be commonplace.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

Beatrice Wishart is next.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

I want to pick up on Mike Flynn’s comments.

One of the issues that Mr Wade suggested about a one-dog limit is that it is when only one dog goes down that problems arise. He said that the terriers are very well trained to flush and not to fight, and that, if there is more than one dog underground, it is more likely that the fox would try to find an exit route rather than stay and fight—because there would be more noise, hustle and bustle, and the fox would be more likely to take fright. In effect, limiting it to one dog would cause more animal welfare problems than using two dogs.

What the whole panel is saying suggests that dogs should not be used underground at all, but, if it were to continue, would the one-dog limit not make the situation worse? I say that on the basis of the evidence of someone who is an expert when it comes to using terriers underground.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

I have a supplementary question. This is one of the most contentious parts of the bill. It appears as if we are using law to control something in an almost tangential way: we are bringing rabbits into the bill to stop hares being hunted.

There could be a simpler way. Would using the fact that someone who was detained by the police for suspected hare coursing had not been given consent by the landowner to hunt with dogs on that property not be the way to stop it, rather than using another excuse to catch them for hare coursing? That seems a bit contrived. We have seen in the past how, when the law was not particularly precise, it turned out not to be good law. Is there a danger of our creating bad law by making hunting for rabbits an offence when there might be other ways of dealing with the issue? What about landowners not giving consent for people hunting with dogs to be on their property? Would that not be the most straightforward and easiest way of doing this, instead of using what appears to be a sledgehammer to crack a nut and bringing rabbits into the legislation?

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

I will briefly bring in Dr Goddard, then Robbie Marsland, on trail hunting.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

In the final few minutes, we will go on to talk about the prohibition on trail hunting. Beatrice Wishart is next.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

Police Scotland is coming in.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

We are, indeed, lucky. We have a wealth of information on which to base our decisions.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

I want to go back to Mr Richards’s response to the question about common frameworks. The notification actually states that the SI is not related to a common framework.

Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee

Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 15 June 2022

Finlay Carson

Thank you; that is very useful. Finally, we will move on to part 3 of the bill and enforcement.