Scottish Labour responds to Animal Concern’s animal welfare questions
Animal Concern recently published an election guide, ahead of the Scottish election on the 7th of May and in it, we stated that we have been contacting Scottish election candidates with our questions about animal rights and welfare. Scottish Labour candidate Catriona Munro, who attended the More for Scotland’s Animals Hustings last month, recently got in touch with us, setting out the party’s stance on the issues we raised. See our questions and her answers below.
Animal Concern’s questions:
Animal Concern has received statements from numerous equine welfare organisations and professionals supporting our call to ban the practice of shaving the majority of tail hair of the dock of heavy horses, an entirely unnecessary practice that deprives them the use of their natural tail. The Clydesdale Horse Society has made clear that they will not be told how to present their horses, therefore guidance will not be enough. Will you support legislation to ban the practice of shaving the tail hair off heavy horses?
You may be aware that the public has lost confidence in the salmon farming sector. The industry has proven itself incapable of managing mortalities caused by sea lice, disease, algal blooms and jellyfish, and severe storms leading to escaped farmed salmon has continued to jeopardise fragile wild salmon populations. Will you ensure the precautionary principle is adhered to and a moratorium on salmon farms be put in place with a view to remove existing salmon farms?
Currently there is a failure to protect wild bird species such as geese from culling practices that have proven to leave many geese suffering prolonged deaths. Will you support non lethal management of wild geese as well as urban pigeons and gulls, and ensure numbers of licensed killings by NatureScot are recorded and published?
What will you be doing to ensure an end to fox hunting, including the ongoing illegal fox hunting that occurs under the guise of trail hunting?
Currently legislation governing live animal research is reserved to Westminster and managed, under strict secrecy, by the Home Office. Would you support devolving the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 from Westminster to Holyrood thus allowing animal research facilities to be monitored and policed by the Scottish Government?
The Scottish Government has continued to licence the annual killing of guga (young gannets) on the island of Sula Sgeir. There is no longer any justification for this barbaric practice of taking young gannets from their parents and bludgeoning them to death. It is cruel, inhumane, and entirely unnecessary. It is this lethal, outdated tradition that needs to die, not the gannets. Would you oppose granting of the Guga Hunt Licence if you are elected?
Noting that guidance does not allow for an end to cruel practices, Animal Concern and its supporters want to know; will you ensure legislation will be prioritised over guidance in matters pertaining to animal welfare?
Employment statistics are routinely used to excuse and endorse industries that profit off the exploitation and inhumane treatment of animals. This includes salmon farming, industrial scale farming of chickens, dairy cows and pigs as well as trail hunting, horse racing, and previously, greyhound racing. What actions are your party taking to move away from promoting jobs that exploit and cause harm to animals and the environment and focus on sustainable jobs that benefit both people and animals instead of jobs that enable ongoing animal abuse?
Scottish Labour’s answers:
Scottish Labour has a strong track record of improving animal welfare and is committed to strengthening wildlife protection law in Scotland. We recognise that Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and we support a comprehensive approach to biodiversity recovery, including delivering the resources required for Scotland’s Biodiversity Delivery Plan, strengthening habitat protection, and ensuring humane wildlife control and appropriate land management.
We have also committed to reviewing and consolidating existing wildlife legislation to ensure it is fit for purpose, as well as taking practical steps to improve animal welfare, such as banning the use of shock collars, introducing compulsory microchipping of cats, and working with farmers and rural communities to raise standards and address challenges such as veterinary shortages.
Scottish Labour does not have a specific policy regarding tail shaving in heavy horses, the culling of wild birds, or the Guga Hunt. I have however raised these issues internally within the party.
On salmon farming, we are very keen to work with the sector to improve the welfare of salmon, and we are concerned about the decline of wild salmon. We support sustainable and data-informed fisheries, rolling out remote electronic monitoring and consulting on inshore marine management to protect fish stocks and marine environments. We recognise the significant pressures facing wild salmon populations, including climate change, habitat degradation, and wider environmental impacts. We support strengthening wildlife and landscape protection through a comprehensive Biodiversity Action Plan, improved habitat management, and better monitoring and funding for conservation efforts.
On fox hunting and trail hunting, we raised concerns at the time that the Hunting with Dogs Bill passed in 2023 that it left a loophole by including a licence for hunts with more than two dogs. These concerns sadly proved prescient, as NatureScot had issued more than 40 licences between November 2023 and April 2024. I would hope to see action on this if we enter government, and I know that it is an issue about which many people within Scottish Labour feel strongly.
Regarding the devolution of animal research regulation, we will of course be happy to hear from your organisation on this issue if we form a government and have the opportunity to take action, but in general we believe that it is better for the Scottish Government to use the existing powers it has to improve Scotland, rather than getting tied up in time-consuming fights over the constitution.
In relation to your question about legislation versus guidance, Scottish Labour supports reviewing and strengthening wildlife and animal welfare legislation to ensure it is effective and fit for purpose. This reflects a wider commitment to ensuring that protections are clear, enforceable, and responsive to current challenges. More broadly, we believe that the Scottish Government needs to provide far more clarity and certainty, and stop hiding behind the creation of quangos that just shield government ministers from the consequences of their own failures. This is in line with my answer above, and I hope shows that Scottish Labour is keen to take action on issues directly rather than avoid responsibility by hiding behind procedure.
Finally, with regard to the transition to sustainable employment, we are deeply aware of the importance of farming to Scotland’s economy, and so we will work in partnership with farmers to improve animal welfare, such as by ending the use of farrowing crates. More broadly, we will reward farmers for nature-friendly practices, incentivising nature restoration and recognising the environmental contributions already made by Scotland’s farmers and crofters through our modernisation of agriculture support payments. In general, Scottish Labour supports improving environmental outcomes through biodiversity restoration, sustainable land management, and working with rural industries to raise standards.
Don’t forget to cast your vote for animals on the 7th of May and, if you want to contact the candidates standing in your region and constituency, view our election guide to find out how!