Hunting with Dogs (Scotland)

The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 24 January 2023. The bill will become law after it has received Royal Assent, probably in the summer – which means that the current law (the 2002 Act) remains in force right now.

The legislation has understandably caused consternation within the country sports world. While the Bill sets out general prohibitions (hunting with no more than two dogs) it comes with a considerable number of exemptions including the ability to apply for a licence to use more than two dogs to hunt mammals in certain circumstances. 

Given the complexity of the new law, it is fair to say that policy officials in both the Scottish Government and NatureScot will now be working towards the Minister’s wishes to produce guidance for practitioners. She has indicated that she would be content to work with the fieldsports community on this guidance.

So at the moment, while we can answer your queries about general scenarios, we all need to wait for the forthcoming guidance about specifics. As ever, we are working with the other representative bodies including the Scottish Countryside Alliance to present the best case for our respective members. This ensures each sector of the community impacted by this new legislation is heard collectively.

We will keep you updated with progress. In the meantime, please read the Bill. It is only 32 pages, and whilst it is legalese, it does provide an understanding of what the law will say. You can also read a plain English update on the Bill here, and the SCA’s useful interim Q&A here.

 In the meantime, if you have any queries, please phone the office and we will do our best to help you.