Scotland passes snare ban bill
Snares were banned in Wales last year.
The Scottish Parliament has passed legislation that will ban the use of snare traps in Scotland.
MSPs voted by 85 votes to 30 to pass the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill on Thursday, 21 March.
The bill bans the use of snares – wire traps which have been used to catch animals such as foxes, hares, and rabbits. The use of glue traps for any animals other than invertebrates will also become illegal, meaning they can no longer be used on rodents.
Animal welfare groups had criticised both forms of traps as cruel and indiscriminate.
There will be a new licensing scheme for killing certain birds (at first, only red grouse) and a new code of practice for managing land on which hunting takes place.
The legislation also makes it possible to increase the powers of inspectors, such as those from the Scottish SPCA, to enter premises to gather evidence when investigating certain wildlife crimes.
New rules on muirburn, in which vegetation is burned in moorland areas, are also included in the bill.
Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie described the bill as “a significant step in our wider journey to ensure Scotland’s environment is managed sustainably”.
The legislation has been welcomed by animal welfare groups and campaigners, including the charities Scottish SPCA and OneKind.
Bob Elliot, OneKind director, said: “This is a monumental day in Scotland. The Scottish public have made it very clear that they want to see snares consigned to the history books and the Scottish government has listened. We are delighted that the Scottish Parliament has passed a ban on these archaic traps.”
However, the move has been criticised by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA). Alex Hogg, chairman of the SGA, said: “We have deep fears for the future of red-listed species because of the snaring ban. The impacts of this step must be robustly reviewed and challenged, if need be.”
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The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.
