Alison Johnstone: Fergus Ewing must answer for foxhunting intervention
Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing must face scrutiny for why he intervened to allow fox hunts to take place on public land, the Scottish Greens have said.
The Ferret has reported documents released by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) which show the agency reversed a decision to keep foxhunts off its land near Inverness after “considerable” pressure from the minister.
Due to a loop hole in the fox hunting ban, ‘foot packs’ can still hunt foxes with permission of a landowner, in this case a public agency.
Responding, Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone, who has proposed a real ban on foxhunting, said: “Leaning on officials to allow blood sports to take place is a wholly inappropriate use of ministerial powers. This shows he acts as a voice for the fox hunting lobby within government and is completely compromised.
“In normal times this would be a resignation issue, and I fully expect the First Minister to revisit this issue as soon as the coronavirus situation has stabilised.
“Public forests should be for everyone, not be a playground for those with the minister’s ear. Until we have a proper fox hunting ban in place Government should not be licensing any packs of dogs anywhere in Scotland.”