The Scottish Government has listened to our voices and has proposed a snaring ban in Scotland. We strongly support this proposal and want to ensure there are absolutely no exceptions to the use of snares. 

 

‘Humane’ cable restraints - a different name for snares 

Those who do not support a snaring ban are trying to make a case for what they call ‘humane cable restraints’- a design of snare which they claim is less harmful and should continue to be allowed. 

When this issue came up recently in opposition to a ban on snares in Wales the Minister, Lesley Griffiths, said: 

"To be very clear, a so-called humane cable restraint and a code-compliant snare are identical in every way, and have been in use since 2012". 

In May this year, when the Bill that could ban snares in Scotland was introduced to Parliament, civil servants said that they had been told by land management and gamekeepers organisations that there was a “new development” in snaring techniques, called “humane cable restraints”, and that they are less harmful so should be permitted if snares are banned. The only thing new about them is the name!

The descriptions of the design specifications of “humane cable restraints” are the same as the descriptions in codes of practice for snaring in all three nations of Great Britain. Not only that, but the picture used by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust in a briefing on “humane cable restraints” is identical to the picture in both the Welsh and English codes of practice for snaring, which were published in 2015 and 2016.

Take action with our consultation guide

The Scottish Government consultation proposing a ban on the use of snares includes questions about potential exceptions for the use of snares for research, or other unspecified reasons. Please respond to the consultation, using our guide, and make it clear that a change of name doesn’t change the suffering snares cause, and there must be no exceptions to the ban. 

Respond to the consultation

There can be no design alteration that will make snares humane; the fundamentals of snaring causes physical and mental suffering. The Scottish Government must ban snares without exception.