FROM WILD JUSTICE ON HUNTING WITH DOGS IN SCOTLAND AND DEFRA DELAYING A VERDICT ON WOODCOCK SHOOTING

Good morning, Today’s newsletter brings you news of our latest legal challenge, an update on the Woodcock consultation – or lack of one (!) Flushing to guns – our legal challenge in Scotland We’ve partnered with the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) to launch a legal challenge against NatureScot over its granting of licences to flush Foxes using more than two dogs. We believe that the licensing system is continuing to allow Fox hunting with packs of dogs in Scotland. The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 limits the number of dogs used to flush Foxes to two but it also allows more dogs to be used under licence, for either the management of wild mammals above ground, or for environmental benefit. These licences can only be granted if there is a strong justification, such as Foxes being likely to cause serious damage to livestock, and if no other solution (such as constructing fencing) would be effective. During the Bill’s passage, the minister told Parliament that a licence would only be “available in exceptional circumstances”. Evidence gathered by LACS via Freedom of Information Requests has revealed significant loopholes in this legislation which, we argue, has resulted in some licences being wrongly granted. We also argue that there has been a substantial lack of compliance monitoring by NatureScot. Our legal challenge comes as huntswoman Clare Bellamy was sentenced at Paisley Sheriff Court yesterday for illegally hunting a Fox. At the time, her hunt held a NatureScot licence to use more than two dogs. During the trial, Ms Bellamy and the landowner both said that once Foxhounds had the scent of a Fox, it was impossible to call them back. To read our joint press release follow this link. All’s (still!) quiet on the Woodcock front For years, Wild Justice has been campaigning for stronger protection for Woodcock – a species of high conservation concern (it’s Red Listed) which can be legally shot from 1 October to 31 January. We were really pleased when Defra finally launched a public consultation in March of this year, which proposed an extension to the close season (the period when they can’t be shot) in England and Scotland, alongside other changes which could result in better protection for other ‘quarry’ species. Wild Justice would prefer Woodcock shooting to be completely banned, however we’re aware this will take time, so we are calling for the closed season to be extended to 1 December. In the winter Woodcock populations are bolstered by significant numbers of migratory Woodcock from the continent. Shooting only during these winter months (December -January) would reduce the risk of resident Woodcock populations being severely impacted. It is a simple and straightforward ask – even the shooting industry organisations don’t support shooting Woodcock before December. You can read more about our position and action here. Defra’s consultation on amending the shooting season for Woodcock and other quarry species closed in mid-May, and the outcome was expected in August 2026, but it never appeared. In late September at the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) conference in London the Head of Wildlife Crime and Wildlife Management Policy at Defra announced that they plan to publish a response sometime in the next two months. However, on 6th November we received information from the Minister’s office that the consultation responses are still being analysed. We were told that when the analysis has been completed (no date!), Defra will publish a summary of the responses and will outline the next steps. Frustratingly, the wait continues. Unfortunately, this delay has meant that once again, the chance has been missed to minimise the impact on resident Woodcock populations this year as the shooting season for this species started on 1 October. As soon as we know more about the outcome of the consultation and subsequent decisions, we’ll let you know. Call for Evidence – thank you! We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who submitted evidence to Defra’s Call for Evidence on gamebird shooting and rearing which closed on 1 November. We’re grateful for the time you gave to this. It was an important opportunity to shine a light on the impacts of the gamebird shooting industry. Thanks also to those who have shared their evidence with us. As soon as we have any news about the outcome of Defra’s Call for Evidence, we’ll let you know. Thank you, Wild Justice (CEO: Bob Elliot. Directors: Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay). This is the 277th Wild Justice newsletter. 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