Schedule 3 - Hunting with Dogs: Prohibition
Hunting Bill
12:30 pm
Mr David Rendel (Newbury, Liberal Democrat)
Two strange things seem to be happening during this debate, which I want to comment on briefly. The first is that the exceptions in the Bill are clearly laid out in several parts and are for different purposes. There is an exception for stalking and flushing out, which is mainly for sporting purposes and to protect gamebirds from being attacked by foxes. There is a separate exception for rodent control. There is a different purpose, in that one is trying to keep down pests, which has nothing to do with sport. There are also exceptions for retrieving game, recapturing lost animals and rescuing animals. Clearly, those latter exceptions have a much more animal welfare-type purpose. Many of the arguments have been based on animal welfare—which has nothing to do with the stalking and flushing out exception—to which most of the amendments refer. Similarly, what has been said about being able to chase wounded animals on other people's land has nothing to do with the amendments, which relate to the provisions dealing with stalking and flushing out; a sporting purpose.
Much of what Conservative Members have said is pretty irrelevant. We are talking about where stalking and flushing out should be possible. Stalking and flushing out are for sporting purposes mainly, or for the protection of livestock or game. Therefore, the arguments for restricting the land on which that can be done have to be very strong. I have some sympathy for the arguments of my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, who talked specifically about the purpose of keeping down rodents. There are much stronger arguments for opening out the land for which that sort of exception should be allowed than stalking and flushing out, which are for sporting purposes.