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The
original intention of Lord Watson’s Member’s Bill was to ban hunting
with hounds. The Bill, as laid before Parliament, attempts to restrict
many countryside activities including vermin control and rough shooting.
Terriers
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Terriers
play a vital role in pest control. It is widely recognised that foxes
and mustelids destroy the young of mammals and the eggs and young of
ground nesting birds (including Dotterel, Hen Harriers, Golden
Plovers, Capercaillie, Lapwings, Merlins and Black Grouse),
not just game birds. The RSPB have recently re-imposed fox control at
their Abernethy Reserve in Speyside following a dramatic decline in
Capercaillie numbers. In the interest of bio-diversity, predator
numbers must be controlled.
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Gamekeepers
use terriers to bolt foxes, which are then shot. Radio collars are
used to track dogs and to ensure that if necessary, the gamekeeper can
dig down to the fox and humanly shoot it.
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Gamekeepers
do not want to pay huge amounts in Vets’ bills. They are fond of
their dogs and the vast majority would never endanger their dogs’
welfare, or its ability to work, by deliberately encouraging a fight
between their dog and a fox.
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A
ban on terrier work will not, we submit, stop the die-hard who misuse
their dogs. As civilised and law abiding members of society, we abhor
the violent and loutish behaviour of some football fans, but we do not
seek to ban football.
Hounds
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Many
estates and farmers employ footpacks to control foxes.
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In
forested and highland areas, the use of hounds in vermin control is
invaluable to gamekeepers and the SGA backs the work of the Scottish
Hill Packs Association.
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The
protection offered to livestock during lambing could not be replaced
if the use of hounds was made illegal.
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In
lowland areas, mounted packs perform a similar service.
Other
Dog Uses
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Gamekeepers
working near built up areas, where gun use is unsafe, are increasingly
finding that lurchers play an important role in fox control (15,000
foxes
per annum). A lamp is used to locate the fox; the dog is slipped from
the lead and swiftly dispatches the fox. Lurchers are large dogs,
easily outweighing foxes. The role of a lurcher can be likened to a
terrier killing a rat.
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Retrievers,
spaniels and Labradors are used to flush and locate rabbits and hares
in agriculture and forestry.
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The
high, dense growth of vegetation cover, which evolves during the early
stages of afforestation, provides various pests with ideal
cover and significant damage can be inflicted on young trees if
effective forest protection is not carried out. The use of
trained dogs is a vital part of this management if successful tree
establishment is to be achieved.
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Humane
deer management is essential if woodland growth/regeneration is to be
achieved. A deer, shot through the heart, can run for over 200 yards
despite being clinically dead. For moral, ethical, sporting and
financial reasons it is essential that the carcass is recovered. Dense
cover or thicket stage plantation requires the use of trained tracker
dogs. Different deer species require different breeds of dogs to
accomplish this task and therefore a wildlife manager/stalker usually
has a number of dogs to cover the wide variety of tasks they may need
to perform.
Employment
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We
are concerned that the nature of the questions asked by the Macaulay
Land Use Research Institute resulted in the conclusion that in the
short-term an estimated 114 of our members will face redundancy if
The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill becomes law, may not
reflect the true picture and many more may face job losses. Without an
in-depth inquiry, the long-term implications of this Bill are
impossible to determine.
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The
decline in Scotland’s wild salmon stocks has seen a dramatic
decrease in fishermen coming to Scotland in recent years (with hotel
owners and rural shops suffering accordingly). There are plenty of
good rivers elsewhere in the world; so why bother coming here? The
answer is, that they do so less and less and the same would apply to
those who come to shoot.
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Shooting
provides employment from August through to February. Hotels and shops
in rural communities depend on the sporting gun for income the winter
season after the holidaymaker has returned home.
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Ultimately,
like the fisherman and the sporting gun, how many tourists will suffer
the high fuel costs of getting to the Highlands if there is nothing to
see? Without the tourist how long will small isolated communities
survive?
Financial
Implications
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“Subsections
(1) to (6), read with subsection (8), of the Bill permit the
licensed use of dogs under close control to stalk a wild mammal, or
flush it from surface cover, to swift dispatch by gun”. Who
is going to pay for the issuing of these licenses?
A
working dog is worth between £200 and £5,000. The Scottish Gamekeepers
Association would expect their members to be compensated if dogs are
destroyed or rendered useless as a result of this Bill.
Scottish
Campaign Against Hunting Video
The
National Parks Bill
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The
Scottish Executive’s National Parks Bill aims “To promote
sustainable use of the natural resources of the area” and “To
conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area”.
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Grouse
shooting underpins the rich and varied biodiversity of the Cairngorms
and yet Watson’s Bill would remove an important tool in maintaining
our endangered heather habitat: the use of terriers to flush foxes
from underground. Gamekeepers are employed to provide shooting.
Shooting is a huge countryside industry. It relies on a healthy
abundance of game birds and animals and they in turn rely on
gamekeepers to manage their habitats, provide their food and to
control their predators.
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Thousands
of tourists admire the abundance of our flora and fauna - Scotland has
one of the richest examples of biodiversity in Europe. If grouse
numbers fall because of inadequate predator control, the grouse
shooter cannot find his sport elsewhere It follows therefore, that
without the grouse shooter there will be little incentive for estates
to manage the heather mosaic and consequently either the taxpayer will
have to foot the bill or it will fall into decline, thus losing our
uniquely Scottish biodiversity.
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Capercaillie
& Brown Hares are Threatened Species. Action Plans have been
produced for their survival. In both cases, one of the factors in
their decline is increased fox predation ("Biodiversity of the
Cairngorms - An Assessment of Priority Habitats and Species” p62 -
Brown Hare and p76 - Capercaillie refers.)
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The
Scottish Gamekeepers Association submits that the Protection
of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill is contrary to the National Parks
Bill, as it will clearly undermine the aims of a Park.
Macaulay
Land Use Research Institute:
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The
recently concluded Macaulay Land Use Research Institute
investigation into some of the effects of this proposed Bill leaves
many questions - regarding the wider implications to the rural
business community (i.e.: hotels, garages, shops, restaurants etc.)
- unanswered.
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The
long-term effects of the Bill (sociologically, environmentally and
economically) have not been investigated.
Policing
The Bill
An
enquiry should be instigated to determine the long-term economic,
environmental and sociological effects of reduced fox control. Just as a
Jury must dismiss the case against the Accused if there is any reasonable
doubt arising from the evidence, so too should the Rural Affairs Committee
dismiss this Bill if there is any possibility that it may be
detrimental to rural areas.
We
submit that the PROTECTION OF WILD MAMMALS (SCOTLAND) BILL will
have devastating economic, environmental and social consequences for our
Country. We urge the Rural Affairs Committee to throw out this Bill in its
entirety as to implement the Bill will serve no other purpose than to
allow the proliferation of major pests: the fox, the mink and other
mustelids.
The
Scottish Gamekeepers Association will welcome the opportunity to give Oral
Evidence before the Rural Affairs Committee and to answer any questions
the Members might have.
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