Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: “This process has taken over seven years and is both unjustified and unnecessary ”Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill: “This process has taken over seven years and is both unjustified and unnecessary.”

The Scottish Government’s move to license the use of packs of dogs for fox control in Scotland has been branded ‘unjustified and unnecessary’ by the Scottish Countryside Alliance.

The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill, passed by MSPs today, will mean that farmers and wildlife managers who use more than two dogs to find and shoot foxes will require a license from NatureScot.

Scottish Countryside Alliance Director Jake Swindells said: “This process has taken over seven years and is both unjustified and unnecessary. The Scottish Government’s own review found that restrictions on the use of packs of dogs could compromise fox control and put both farmer’s livelihoods and threatened wildlife at risk.

“Whilst it is frustrating that so much time and resource has been wasted on this Bill, the licensing scheme is, at least, an explicit acceptance by the Scottish Government that the use of packs of dogs in wildlife management is effective and necessary.

“It will now be down to NatureScot, the licensing body, to ensure that farmers and wildlife managers are able to access the best options for fox control in all circumstances.”