Recently, OneKind and John Muir Trust ran a joint workshop to foster a detailed discussion on introducing the 7 principles for ethical wildlife control for deer ‘management’ in Scotland. We have been promoting these principles for several years, and the possibility that they could be introduced in Scotland is now being considered more widely, including… Read more
Ethics for wildlife management debated in Scottish Parliament
Yesterday, the possibility of introducing the principles for ethical wildlife ‘control’ to Scotland was debated in Parliament. We watched closely. These seven principles were relatively unknown until recently, and we and others have been working hard to change that and highlight the benefits their introduction could bring to wild animal welfare. This was an important… Read more
We are running out of time to create a Good Food Nation
Recently we asked, ‘what does it mean to be a good food nation?’ ahead of the stage one debate of the Good Food Nation Bill. That Bill has now been debated for the second time. We worked alongside the Scottish Food Coalition, which we are a member of, before the debate to support MSPs lodging… Read more
Guide to Parliamentary survey on Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament has an open call for views about the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill, the new Bill aiming to close the loopholes that allow fox hunting to continue. This current call for views has been launched by the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment committee in parliament, as part of their scrutiny of… Read more
What does it mean to be a Good Food Nation?
Next Tuesday the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill will be debated in Parliament for the first time. Global authorities recognise that people in industrialised countries need to transition towards a plant-based diet, and at OneKind we encourage and support people to make that shift. As long as some people are still eating meat and dairy,… Read more
Seven principles for ethical wildlife ‘control’
Unfortunately, wild animals in Scotland are frequently ‘controlled’ or ‘managed’ – killed, moved, deterred, contracepted, or otherwise manipulated. These interventions vary in how much harm they cause; some are extremely cruel while others have less of an impact on the animals. OneKind opposes harming wild animals, but we know that it happens and in some… Read more
Sentience Bill receives MP support
Recently the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill had it second reading in the House of Commons, giving MPs their first chance to debate it following previous debates in the House of Lords. If it becomes law this Bill will formally recognise the sentience of other animals and create a committee to scrutinise whether the UK Government… Read more
Second animal testing debate in UK Parliament
You may remember that at the end of October our #Target Zero petition to phase out animal testing, which we launched jointly with Animal Free Research UK and Cruelty Free International, was debated in the UK Parliament. Yesterday the topic was debated again, in what is known as adjournment debate, where an MP can have… Read more
Fox hunting consultation guide
This is our chance to close the loopholes and get a real foxhunting ban The Scottish Government is currently consulting on proposed changes to the Protection of Wild Mammals Scotland) Act 2002 (the foxhunting ‘ban’). The consultation website is here. This is our chance to close the loopholes in Scotland’s legislation that allow fox hunting… Read more
How we can support our companion animals’ mental health
Over recent weeks we have been highlighting the importance of good companion animal mental health. Here are some ways we can all support our animals and enrich their lives. Understand and provide for their needs Firstly, we should learn about the psychological needs of the species and breeds who might live with us (here are… Read more
Killing beavers is not the only harm we cause them
Earlier this week NatureScot released its beaver ‘management’ report for 2020. The admission that 115 beavers were shot under licence last year captured headlines and hearts. And quite rightly – shooting animals is abhorrent in most circumstances and particularly difficult to understand in a species that has recently returned to Scotland and is supposedly ‘protected.’… Read more
Mountain hare licences: the highs and lows
We were delighted last year when the Scottish Parliament voted to make mountain hares a protected species. Unfortunately, ‘protection’ for animals in Scotland comes with caveats. There are always exceptions to protections, usually in the form of a scheme that allows people to kill or disturb ‘protected’ species if granted a license. This is the… Read more
What’s the deal with trade deals?
You might have seen a lot about trade deals in the news or your social media feeds recently. But it is all quite technical, and it can be hard to know how important it really is. So here we have outlined why it matters. Since we left the EU, the UK must renegotiate trade deals…. Read more
Introducing the World Federation for Animals
There has been an exciting new development in the animal protection movement. The recent formation of the World Federation for Animals (WFA) offers a chance for non-human animals to be represented at a global level and for their wellbeing to be incorporated into the United Nations (UN) policy streams for the first time. What is… Read more
Our manifesto asks – what is happening now?
With only one day left until the elections, we return to our OneKind manifesto and consider the progress that has been made on a few topics and see which of our ‘asks’ were included in party manifestos. You can see more detail about party commitments on animal welfare in our previous blog or watch our… Read more
Parties’ animal welfare commitments for the 2021 Scottish elections
We hope that this blog will help you easily compare the commitments made by the five main political parties. This table shows some of the parties’ commitments on key animal welfare issues related to our campaigns. Below it we have given more detail on additional commitments each party has made. General Labour “will carry out… Read more
Considering deer
Deer are often portrayed as symbolic of a wild Scotland – the ‘Monarch of the Glen’ proudly surveying his homeland. The implication is that they are thriving and revered. In reality, Scotland’s deer face many challenges. Human activities over centuries have created an unbalanced ecosystem, in which deer have no remaining natural predators. Consequently, the… Read more
Scottish Government licensing of grouse moors
The Scottish Government has announced that it will introduce licensing of grouse moors, during a statement of its response to a commissioned review of grouse moor management. That report, conducted by a team led by Professor Werritty, recommended the licensing of grouse moors after a five year delay, if substantial change did not occur in… Read more
Out of sight, out of mind: Guest blog by Rhona O’Malley
Rhona is a member of the Edinburgh charity Advocates for Rabbit Welfare and is passionate about profiling rabbit welfare needs to give owners the support and information they need. Rhona wishes someone had raised her awareness to the innocent welfare mistakes she used to make and is now on a mission to be that voice… Read more
OneKind manifesto for 2021 Scottish elections
We have just published our manifesto for the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary elections. It outlines the actions we would like the incoming Parliament and Government to take to improve the welfare of Scotland’s animals. It contains 19 specific actions that we are calling for. They vary in form and complexity, but all are guided by a… Read more
Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill will become law
On Wednesday evening, June 17th, MSPs voted unanimously for the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill to become law. This is a big step forward for improving welfare for Scotland’s animals. The main functions of the Bill, which we have previously written about in more detail, are to increase maximum penalties for… Read more
