The SNP responds to Animal Concern’s animal welfare questions
Animal Concern 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.
After reaching out to SNP Minister Jim Fairlie, John Gray from the Wildlife Management Unit recently got in touch with us, setting out the party’s stance on the issues we raised. See our questions and his 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 majority of 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?
The SNP’s answers are as follows;
Firstly, you ask whether the Scottish Government will support legislation to ban the practice of shaving the tail hair off heavy horses. The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce legislation to ban the practice of shaving the tails of heavy horses. The Scottish Government is clear however that the tails of equids should not be shaved, unless under veterinary direction, as it plays an important role in equine communication and maintaining health, as the tail is used to keep flies and other insects away from their rear end.
You also ask whether the Scottish Government will ensure legislation will be prioritised over guidance in matters pertaining to animal welfare? The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 already makes provision for offences related to animal cruelty, unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the welfare needs of animals. Additionally, the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 significantly increased the maximum penalties for the most serious animal welfare offences (including animal cruelty and animal fighting) to 5 years imprisonment and unlimited fines.
With regards to salmon farms the Scottish Government does not support a moratorium on salmon farming in Scotland. Salmon farming is already subject to strict planning and environmental rules to manage and mitigate the risk of sea lice, disease and escapes interactions with wild salmonids, while supporting the significant economic and social benefits that the sector delivers for Scotland. A moratorium on salmon farming would not only risk the benefits salmon farming brings to Scotland in jobs and investment but would limit the innovation and actions required to address the sector's challenges including adapting farming strategies to support fish health and welfare and responding to environmental challenges.
You also ask if the Scottish Government will support non lethal management of wild geese as well as urban pigeons and gulls, and ensure numbers of licenses killings by NatureScot are recorded and published? NatureScot can issue licences under Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to undertake activities which would normally be illegal. This includes non-lethal methods. Licences permitting the killing of some species is only permitted as a last resort where there is no alternative solution. NatureScot publishes the number of licences issued on its website on an annual basis and can be found here Summary of Licensing Data | NatureScot
With regards to fox hunting, The chasing and killing of a wild mammal with a dog for sport or otherwise has no place in modern Scotland, and it has been illegal for 20 years. The passing of the Hunting with Dogs Act in March 2023 fulfilled our commitment to strengthen the law on hunting with dogs and closes loopholes in the existing legislation, which have allowed that already illegal activity to persist and takes steps to prevent other potential loopholes from opening.
The Hunting with Dogs Act Act includes the measures to:
Limit the number of dogs that can be used to search for, stalk or flush wild mammals from cover above ground to two.
Introduce a licensing regime for the use of more than two dogs to search for, stalk or flush wild mammals above ground in certain limited circumstances.
Prohibit the activity known as trail hunting (the activity of directing a dog to find and follow an animal-based scent).
The Hunting with Dogs Act permits the use of dogs to search for and flush wild mammals for a number of purposes, including facilitating the control of predators in order to protect livestock and agriculture, while upholding the highest animal welfare standards.
With regards to the guga hunt, as you may be aware, the taking of gannets for the purpose of food for human consumption is specifically provided for in section 16(2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (“the 1981 Act”). This activity can only be done under licence, and in accordance with the terms of a licence issued by NatureScot, who are responsible for licensing functions from the Scottish Government as part of the implementation of the Wildlife & Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011.
The Scottish Government does not intend to amend Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to remove the power to grant licences for taking gannets on Sula Sgeir. NatureScot does keep its licensing processes under continual review and if there was any change in the circumstances of this traditional activity, they would be prepared to reconsider the issue of a licence under section 16(2) of the 1981 Act or the terms of any such licence.
In considering an application for a licence, NatureScot gives consideration as to whether the hunt is sustainable, and by that the, focus of the consideration is whether the activity would have an adverse effect on the conservation status of the species concerned, namely gannets.
NatureScot have recently received an application to take a certain number of gannet chicks and the application is currently being considered by NatureScot who will assess the 2026 licence application carefully to determine if granting it will affect the long-term stability of the gannet population on Sula Sgeir. NatureScot will assess the application in accordance with existing legal frameworks, which provide protection to the qualifying features of North Rona and Sula Sgeir Special Protection Area (SPA). The assessment by NatureScot will be informed by the latest scientific evidence including an updated population viability analysis model.
You also ask what actions is the Scottish Government 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? Aquaculture is a significant contributor to our economy, providing well paid jobs particularly in Scotland’s rural and island communities. Nevertheless, we are clear in our expectation that all producers should comply with animal welfare legislation and industry standards, and that any breaches should be the exception rather than the norm. The Animal and Plant Health Agency has responsibility for investigating welfare issues and enforcement as is appropriate.
We aren’t exactly impressed with the SNPs responses. It’s particularly interesting however, that in response to our query about promoting jobs that exploit animals and cause harm to the environment, they responded in defense of aquaculture, not any other jobs that exploit and cause suffering to animals.
We are pleased that the SNP government has responded to our evidence on the negative impacts of tail shaving and supports including in the updated Equine Guidance (still not published) that best practice is that tails should not shaved, horses should not be deprived use of their tails. It’s a step in the right direction.
As for the rest of the SNP responses, they lack substance for meaningful responsibility of animal welfare and protection and we intend to dissect them and present alternatives in due course.
Do get in touch with your MSP about the issues above to ask for their party’s stance and put pressure on them to make Scotland safer for animals.