New Code of Practice for Mounted Foxhounds

The new Code of Practice for Mounted Foxhounds was introduced on the 1st September 2018.

The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 allows the use of dogs to stalk or flush a wild mammal from cover in order that it may be shot. The Code is intended to provide a clear framework and guidance to practitioners and others in the planning and conduct of fox control activities. While this is not a statutory COP we have committed to our compliance to provide reassurance to the general public and other casual parties that mounted hunts are operating within the bounds of the law.

The code can be read here.

Representatives from the SCA, SMFHA, Scottish Gamekeepers and the Scottish Hill Packs assassination met with the minister to discuss the newly introduced Code of Practice for Mounted Foxhound Packs and the analysis of the consultation "Improving the Protection of Wild Mammals in Scotland".

Our understating of the analysis is that the consultation received 18,787 responses. However, 18,497 were generated by five (5) campaigns. (98%) while 290 were substantive responses (2%). The document lists five main campaign organisers. One of those is entitled "OneKind and League Against Cruel Sports (members outside of Scotland)" which accounts for 9,063 responses (49% of the 'campaign' responses, and 48% of total responses overall including 'substantive' responses).

We suspect that many more of the other campaign responses also came from outside of Scotland, particularly the IFAW campaign which received 2,059 submissions.

Only 9,434 campaign responses to the consultation came from people in Scotland (based on the breakdown in the report). We can therefore say that only 0.2% of the population in Scotland took part in the consultation. We have asked the minister if she is happy to accept this with any confidence, in representing the democratic voice of Scotland?