A five year review conducted by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has found that snaring related incidents have reduced following changes in the law.
The report also recommended that snaring practices should be refined by doing the following:
*Increase the stop position on fox snares to enlarge the noose size to 26cm;
*Increase the number of swivels on fox snares to a minimum of two;
*Introduce the power of disqualification for a snaring offence;
*Consider how a strengthened Code of Practice can be better endorsed through legislation;
*Implement a time period for updating snare records and reduce the time allowed for producing records to the police.
Nicolle Hamilton from BASC Scotland said: “We look forward to working with the Scottish Government on the Practitioners’ Guide that BASC, GWCT and SGA were instrumental in creating. Fox and rabbit control in Scotland is necessary to protect crops and livestock and to maintain Scotland’s unique rural biodiversity. Snaring is a vital tool due to Scotland’s diverse landscape and types of cover where other methods of control are impractical and ineffective. When conducted in accordance with the Practitioners’ Guide, snaring is an effective and humane form of control.”
Mike Hardy, a member of BASC Council, said: “Snaring is a vital gamekeeping tool. In some areas where other forms of predator control are difficult, snaring comes into its own.”
The Practitioners’ Guide is available here.
ENDS