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I am interested in the point that dogs are intelligent animals. If you are following a trail and a fox shows up, they are intelligent enough to chase it. That is perhaps one of the loopholes that the legislation is seeking to close.

It interests me that trail hunting has been banned in Wales and on National Trust land. Do you have any comments on what impact that has had?

It is fair to say that some of my farming constituents have raised with me issues around the pressures of work in that regard.

You have mentioned your code of conduct a couple of times. I am interested in the difference between a code of conduct and a licence. What are the penalties under your code of conduct?

Do you want to respond, Mr Macleod?

I was struck by the comment in your submission that

“There are several methods to control foxes but none of them are effective in all circumstances. The need for different approaches to management is therefore vital.”

You touched on that point in your responses to some of Mercedes Villalba’s questions, but do you have anything to add in that respect?

I find it difficult to listen to “humane” and “snare” in the same sentence. Can you explain a bit more about that?

Thank you.

My question is a quick one, because you have already given us a lot of information with regard to licensing and your views on it. However, what struck me in your written evidence was that you kept using the word “workable”, which you have used again in this session. What do you think will make the licence workable?

The submissions from everyone on the panel suggest that NatureScot is a suitable organisation to deal with the work, if, as Ian Duncan Millar has said, it is properly resourced. Will you explain why you think that NatureScot is the right organisation?

Does Mr Wade want to say something?