8 September 2015

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had the pleasure of meeting Dr Brian May and Anne Brummer, Chief Executive of the Save Me Trust to discuss fox hunting and the Scottish Government’s commitment to review the existing legislation on the issue in Scotland.

Scotland has led the way in legislation to protect wildlife and to safeguard animal welfare and recent activity has prompted a closer look at how the Scottish legislation on hunting operates in practice. The review will consider how the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act has been meeting its aims, 13 years after the legislation was brought into force to control hunting with dogs. The First Minister has also confirmed that any breaches of the Act will be included in the wildlife crime annual report.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

It is over a decade since Scotland led the way in the UK in banning the use of dogs to kill foxes and other wild mammals and we are committed to a ban remaining in place.

However, there has been a great deal of debate in Scotland about the effectiveness of the current legislation and that is why in my Programme for Government will review the operation of the Act to determine whether we should take steps to strengthen the current law.

It is important that the legislation meets its intended aims and protects our wild animals, so I will publish our review within the coming months, setting out next steps.”

A Powerful force for change. Here's two people with the vision, wisdom and determination to deliver a better future pic.twitter.com/jDVfYAASV8

— Brian May's Save Me (@AnneatSaveMe) September 4, 2015