Scotland: Ban on snaring

The Scottish Government has often claimed to be a “world leader” in several areas of politics, but there is one specific area where Scotland certainly comes top of the league – licensing. We’ve, sadly, had our fair share. I fear it won’t be long before you will need a licence to apply for a licence.

The practice of snaring animals was employed before records began and has proven over time to be an extremely effective method of catching and controlling animals. Technical developments over the years means that we have seen devices progress as animal welfare legislation was improved until, in 2012, a licence was introduced, and a much more humane device was created. Gone were the days of strangling animals to death as the introduction of a “stop” and swivels turned the wire into a holding device, rather than a killing device.

Stringent laws were introduced to ensure that target species were humanely captured and held until the operator returned to dispatch the quarry swiftly. A training course must be passed and detailed records must be kept. Each snare must be tagged with an operators’ ID number and have a stop fitted so that the fox, rabbit or hare was not strangled, but held, and each device had to be checked at no more than 24-hour intervals.

These improved devices have been successfully and effectively used for over a decade in protecting our endangered species and livestock. Even though more up-to-date devices (Humane Cable Restraints), with increased welfare advancements were adopted, our government recently ignored evidence from our land management sector and decided that it would implement a ban on these devices, and it just so happens that this was at a time of the great SNP / Green power share.

In 2022, NatureScot, the Scottish Government’s own nature department, published a document stating that Scotland will have lost the iconic Capercaillie 30 years from now. Within days of this, the Scottish Government introduced its intentions to further restrict predator control by introducing the Hunting with Dogs Bill. In a very short space of time, we lost the ability to protect the species we need to concentrate on conserving, and one can’t help think that these were given as a bargaining chip, demanded by Green Ministers, in exchange for an element of Green Party support in other areas that mattered more to our Scottish National Party.

On 25^th November 2024, controlling pest and predator species by way of snare or humane cable restraint will be banned. Those who do operate these devices are urged to collect and account for any device they have set, and update records (as is required in law) that you have done so. 

Though our leading party continue to tie our hands, we will still try to help them find a way of reaching their biodiversity targets sensibly, because we still want to see an abundance of varied wildlife 30 years from now, contrary to the belief of some less rural-orientated organisations and decision makers.