Lord Bonomy to lead hunting law review

Retired judge Lord Bonomy has agreed to lead a review for the Scottish Government of the legislation regarding hunting with dogs.

The hunting of foxes with dogs was banned under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, but the law still allows a hunt to use dogs to flush out and chase foxes for the purpose of shooting. Animal rights campaigners claim the law is ineffective to prevent cruelty.

Lord Bonomy will consider whether the current law provides the necessary level of protection for foxes and other wild mammals while allowing for the effective and humane control of these animals where required.

The review will begin in January 2016 and written evidence will be accepted from 1 February to the end of March.

Announcing the review, Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, said: “Lord Bonomy is very experienced in carrying out complex reviews and I was delighted when he accepted my invitation to take on this important role.

“Scotland led the way in addressing animal welfare concerns with legislation in 2002, and we remain committed to ensuring the highest levels of welfare for our wild animals. The aim of this review is to ensure current legislation is providing the necessary level of protection for foxes and other wild mammals, while at the same time allowing effective and humane control of these animals where needed.

“I am sure everyone with an interest in the protection of wild mammals will want to engage with Lord Bonomy and I would encourage them to do so.”

Harry Huyton of Animal charity OneKind commented: "Fox-hunting is supposedly banned in Scotland, yet if you were to attend any meet in Scotland today it would be perfectly clear that little has changed since the law came into force in 2002."