Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie disclosed that Scottish Government expects that the order to prohibit the use of all snares would be commenced on that date.
Snares were banned under the recent Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill but no date had been given on when the ban would actually come into force.
That timetable is now known after the Minister notified Parliament on Tuesday in a response to a question from Green MSP, Ariane Burgess.
The SGA opposed a complete ban on the use of all snares, advocating that new-style humane holding devices (or humane cable restraints) should be permitted for use in wildlife management due to their studied welfare improvements.
Sadly, that stance was ignored and the Parliament voted to outlaw all snaring.
See the SGA’s response to that decision, here: https://www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk/latest-news/2023/2023-11-09-sga-reaction-to-loss-of-snaring-in-scotland.php
The SGA remains opposed to the banning of all snares and will continue to monitor the impact this measure has on the predation of rare and conservation-listed species by abundant foxes.
