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Sharon Comrie: Scotland is finally doing more to protect wild animals in law

While there may still be potential for loopholes, the passing of the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill is a win for animal welfare.

The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill became law at the beginning of this month (Image: Christopher Chambers/Shutterstock)
The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill became law at the beginning of this month (Image: Christopher Chambers/Shutterstock)

While there may still be potential for loopholes, the passing of the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill is a win for animal welfare, writes Sharon Comrie of the Scottish SPCA.

Who would believe we are well into 2023 already? So far this year, the Scottish SPCA has been just as busy as ever.

In late January, the Scottish parliament passed the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill, and it became law in early March. The legislation is not before time.

In our 2021 manifesto, we called for the loopholes on hunting in Scotland to be closed. Now that looks like it will actually happen.

The new Act is a good thing, because chasing and killing wild mammals with dogs is barbaric. The law it will replace, the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act, has been regularly exploited. Passed in 2002, it allowed hunting animals to flush out wild mammals using packs of hounds, as long as they were shot.

These hunts could only legally be carried out for the purposes of protecting ground-nesting birds, pest control, or preventing the spread of disease. Trail hunting, where a group follows an animal-based scent, has been illegal in Scotland for years. This will now be enshrined in the new Act.

The Scottish Government acknowledged in a parliamentary debate that the 2002 Act was not robust enough. The big change – and one that we have campaigned for – is a two-dog limit in packs.

The Protection of Wild Mammals Act did not limit how large a pack could be, meaning dozens of dogs could be used in a hunt. We know this led to out-of-control groups of dogs on hunts, where wild mammals were then mauled to death, as it is impossible to shoot one when it is caught by a large pack.

One of the amendments included in the new Act creates a licensing scheme. The details of this plan need to be mapped out, but we do know it will allow larger packs of dogs to be used in certain circumstances. We will be following the development of the licensing scheme closely, and hope it does not create any further loopholes.

For now, we are delighted to celebrate a big win for animal welfare in Scotland.

Thank you, animal champions

We’ve also been looking back at 2022, which was an incredibly busy year for the Society. In Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire alone, we attended over 8,600 incidents and welcomed 817 supporters and 4,155 members. Our Aberdeenshire Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre at Drumoak rehomed 571 animals and reunited 13 strays with their owners.

Lurcher Nova was recently looking for a new home in Aberdeenshire and is now reserved (Image: Scottish SPCA)

These figures are amazing, and all of our supporters and members should feel very proud. We at the Scottish SPCA are extremely grateful for your continuing help and support, especially during the cost-of-living crisis we are all experiencing.

You are true animal champions, making such a difference to the animals in our care and the wider community.


Sharon Comrie is community and engagement manager for the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA)

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