Why the Scottish Parliament has passed a new Hunting with Dogs Bill - Mairi McAllan

It has now been more than 20 years since Scotland became the first part of the UK to ban fox-hunting. Since then, a whole generation has been born and grown up in a country where the archaic practice of using a dog to chase and kill wild mammals has been illegal.

Why then, many may wonder, has the Scottish Parliament recently passed a new Hunting with Dogs Bill? There is no d oubt that there has been a clear cultural shift in our attitude towards wildlife over the last few decades. Practices such as hare coursing, fox-hunting, badger-baiting and dogfighting, which were once legal activities, are no longer acceptable.

In 2002, the Protection of Wild Mammals Bill was rightly considered a pioneering piece of legislation. But it was flawed. Although hunting wild mammals with packs of dogs was now banned, loopholes were exploited, and so the practice continued. Two decades later, those loopholes have finally been closed.

The new Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill modernises and strengthens existing wildlife regulations, giving law enforcement agencies the support that they need to deal effectively with those who would continue to hunt illegally. The strengthened law, once it comes into force, will introduce a new two-dog limit for all uses of dogs in the course of hunting and it bans the practice of trail hunting. A new licensing scheme will allow the use of more than two dogs in specific, limited circumstances.