5.1 Drag hunting
Both the hunts and subscribers were asked about the potential for drag hunting. None of the hunts indicated that they would develop drag hunting. It was perceived as an entirely different activity from fox hunting and not one in which either farmers or the hunts would wish to promote. Of the subscribers 12% said that they would consider drag hunting and 78% said that they would not. A further 10% did not produce an opinion. It was clear, however, that drag hunting was not seen as a straight substitute for fox hunting. The reasons subscribers gave for a lack of interest was that it was more like a race than fox hunting, more dangerous and more predictable. Many did not wish to engage in a competitive sport. It was also felt that it might lack the social component which is of major importance to many who foxhunt. There was also some doubt as to whether sufficient farmers would be prepared to allow it on their land.
5.2 Re-injection of expenditure by households
If a ban were introduced we estimate a withdrawal of spending by households of £3.83 on inputs plus £0.53m on labour, a total of £4.36m (Table 2.7). We asked respondents what they would do with the cash not spent on hunting. It was clearly difficult for respondents to give precise information about a future and somewhat abstract situation. Nevertheless, they stated that, on average, 17% of the current expenditure saved through a ban would be spent in Scotland (Table 5.1). Much of this would be on household and personal expenditure, alternative sports and leisure interests, holidays and some capital investment. The remainder would be saved (40%) or spent elsewhere (43%). The main focus of expenditure outside Scotland was holidays, sport and travel. A number would still foxhunt but in Ireland. Respondents implicitly assumed that if a ban were introduced in Scotland there would also be similar legislation in England. However, if there were no English ban, it is likely that more Scottish residents would hunt in England, and this would maintain the current expenditure patterns of some hunting households in the Borders.
Table 5.1 Allocation of saved expenditure by subscribing households
|
£M |
% |
|
|
Total expenditure withdrawn |
4.36 |
100 |
|
Amount saved |
1.76 |
40 |
|
Amount spent in Scotland |
0.73 |
17 |
|
Amount spent elsewhere |
1.87 |
43 |
The impact of the re-injection of household expenditure was estimated using the same Input-output model as described in chapter 4.2 above. Taking into account the type of goods and services that respondents said they would purchase, the results suggest that a total of 17 FTE jobs would be created in the Scottish economy as a result of re-spending, 14 of which would be in service-related sectors. It might be thought that the re-injection of only 17% of withdrawn expenditure into the Scottish economy is low and could reflect strategic bias in the responses. However, only 47% of national average household expenditure is spent on Scottish goods and services. The remainder is saved, taxed or used to purchase goods and services derived from outside Scotland. The subscriber households are relatively wealthy and the re-injection related to the marginal, rather than average, expenditures. We would thus expect the proportion injected into Scotland to be well below 47%.
The study did not explore the alternative employment opportunities in the sector in any detail. The fact that the activities are specialised and that the whole of the mounted fox hunting ‘sector’ would be closed down by a ban, reduces the scope for finding similar employment. There may be opportunities in the wider horse sector but this is probably not sufficiently dynamic to absorb the number of jobs in question in the short-term. Those particularly affected will be people who depend most directly on fox hunting for their livelihood and who are older or more specialised and thus less able to adapt to alternative job requirements. There is no guarantee that these individuals can compete well for new opportunities in rural employment. Those with part-time, seasonal jobs, which represent an early but temporary stage in the life cycle, will be better placed to find new employment.