Hunting Act 2004 Debate

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Department: Home Office

Hunting Act 2004

Baroness Parminter Excerpts
Wednesday 15th July 2015

(8 years, 10 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Baroness Parminter Portrait Baroness Parminter (LD)
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Does the noble Lord accept that an amendment to the Hunting Act which makes the number of dogs allowed to chase a wild animal limitless will make the Bill unenforceable? It has done that in Scotland, where there have been zero prosecutions for mounted hunts.

Lord Bates Portrait Lord Bates
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I do not think that it will make it unworkable. There has been concern, which has been expressed in representations from farmers, particularly in upland areas, that the current provisions and exemptions for pest control are unworkable, causing them problems and resulting in the loss of livestock as a result of attacks by foxes. So the question was: can they bring it into line with that which is already the case in Scotland? The view was that that was a reasonable request and something which should be done.