[Part II]
Hunting Bill
7:45 pm
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire, Conservative)
The 54 per cent. do not necessarily have terriers or do the sort of job that requires killing vermin. They might work on different terrain or have a different job, in different circumstances. The fact that more than half—I think that the figure is of that order—of all gamekeepers require terriers for below-ground work is extremely significant. Shooting in this country would be very badly affected if all 2,000 gamekeepers had to apply to the registrar for
registration to use dogs. That would have a devastating effect on the conservation of game and on rare ground-nesting birds, of which the fox is a major predator. Lord Burns acknowledged that when he said:
''We consider that it might be productive, in the absence of a ban''
on hunting with dogs
''to explore the possibility of introducing some form of licensing system, possibly on the lines of those which exist to regulate hunting in some other countries.''
He also said:
''In the case of terrier work, another requirement might be membership of the National Working Terrier Federation and adherence to its code conduct.''
That implies that terrier work ought to be allowed. Professor David Macdonald, the distinguished researcher, said:
''Shooting adult foxes . . . has particular welfare''
difficulties ''for orphaned cubs''. He continued:
''If a rifle is used to kill adult foxes at the cubbing earth, terriers may be the only way to ensure that dependant cubs are killed. The National Working Terrier Federation have a code of conduct that identifies best practice for humane and efficient use of terriers for pest control.''
I do not recall anyone at Portcullis House saying that they would necessarily and absolutely rule out the use of terriers.
If we are to take the Bill seriously and to believe that the Labour party is, regrettably, keen to ban the use of hounds for the pursuit of foxes, and if we accept that the same number or a greater number of foxes will be killed in order to avoid the predation of lambs and ground-nesting birds, we have to realise that the only way that can reasonably happen is by allowing a sensible amount of terrier work. That is why it is important that terrier work is exempt under schedule 1, which is the purpose of amendment No. 205.