Breaking: Snares are banned in Scotland!

This makes Scotland the second UK country to ban snares, after they were banned in Wales in 2023, and will prevent hundreds of thousands of animals from suffering.

In February, the then-Environment Minister, Gillian Martin MSP, introduced her amendment to ban snares – as recommended by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission – stating: “I believe that this parliament can no longer ignore the weight of evidence that snares lead to unacceptable levels of suffering, not just for wild animals but for domestic animals which can become trapped in them. The decision to ban the use of snares is not one that has been taken lightly, or quickly, and my decision takes into account the wealth of evidence and opinion, that has been presented in parliament over the years on this matter. Unfortunately, even when snares are used in very strict accordance with the conditions set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act, they remain by their nature, indiscriminate, and as such they pose an unacceptable risk to non-target species including other wildlife including endangered ones and domestic species such as cats.

Iain Green, Director of Animal Aid stated: ‘We are delighted that the Scottish Government has acted with logic and compassion in its decision to follow the lead of the Welsh Government and ban these cruel and archaic contraptions of torture. Despite the shooting industry’s efforts to rebrand snares as “humane cable restraints”, the Scottish Government has shown that no amount of regulation or restrictions will ever make snares anything other than indiscriminate and brutal. We know that some animals have chewed off their own limbs to escape and all suffer hours of fear and terror before they eventually die or are killed. It’s high time that Westminster showed its mettle and introduced a ban on snares in England too.’

Thank you to Onekind, the League Against Cruel Sports, Revive Coalition, the National Anti Snaring Campaign, the Hunt Investigation Team and all who campaigned on this issue with us. This is a fantastic outcome for the animals.