Two arrested in Scotland under new hunting law

Police have arrested two men over alleged breaches of Scotland’s new foxhunting legislation. The arrests followed video surveillance and complaints submitted by anti-hunt groups in the Scottish Borders. Officers have investigated six reports of illegal foxhunting since the new law was introduced last October. 

Police Scotland confirmed that two men, aged 29 and 55, were arrested as part of its inquiries. 

Introduced more than 20 years after the original hunting ban, the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 imposed a two-dog pack limit for the management of wild mammals. 

Since the new law came into force, saboteur groups have concentrated protests and “evidence-gathering” on several hunts in the Scottish Borders. 

Conservationist Patrick Laurie told ST: “The stories surrounding recent arrests are unclear, and that’s consistent with the very patchy and opaque nature of the legislation itself. The reality is that predator control is extremely complicated and variable — and it’s almost impossible to legislate against one type of hunting without causing knock-on effects elsewhere. 

“It does seem like MSPs have stepped into a hornet’s nest here without any real understanding of the situation on the ground.”