An animal rights charity has said that the consultation could address fox hunting loopholes

Fox hunting regulations could be tightened in Scotland.

A consultation on improving the protection of wild mammals in Scotland was announced by the environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham last week.

It follows a review of the operation of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, which was published by Lord Bonomy in 2016.

The move has been welcomed by animal rights charity OneKind, which has said the plans will address loopholes in the existing law.

The charity’s director Harry Huyton said: “OneKind welcomes this consultation on the future of fox hunting in Scotland. We have long raised concerns that mounted fox hunting continues much as it did thanks to loopholes in the law.

“This marks an important step towards closing the loopholes and banning hunting in Scotland for good.

“We particularly welcome the broad scope of the consultation. Lord Bonomy’s review of the Protection of Wild Mammals Act was thorough and provides important recommendations that would tighten the regulation around fox hunting, but the Scottish Government will need to go further if we are end to this cruel practice for good.”

Cunningham said: “This consultation seeks to explore recommendations to improve animal welfare legislation and the contributions we receive will be of considerable value in informing our thinking.

“Scotland led the way in 2002 by banning the hunting of wild mammals with dogs and we remain committed to improving animal welfare across the board.”

The consultation is open now and will run until 31 January 2018.