We note that the declared intention of Mike Watson MSP was to introduce a Bill to ban fox hunting in Scotland. However, the Bill as introduced is actually much wider in its scope. The Research Note, dated 28th July 1999, prepared to assist the Scottish Parliament in assessing the impact of the Bill, was published prior to the Bill and therefore does not take account of this. This will cause landowners wishing to control the numbers of the above species serious difficulties, as will now be demonstrated. The need for population control The species that would be protected by the sweeping prohibition on hunting all cause damage to other plant or animal species.
Foxes regularly attack poultry and livestock such as lambs and piglets.
Mink also prey on domestic livestock. Deer, rabbits and hares eat the vegetation provided for livestock or being grown as crops and cause serious damage to forestry. All rural livelihoods can sustain a degree of impact from these species. The problem is that many of the animals that acted as predators to the above species are no longer prevalent in Scotland. Accordingly, if their numbers were not controlled by other means they would have an impact that would be unsustainable.