Wales has become first UK nation to ban snares and glue traps. The Welsh Government's Agriculture (Wales) Bill is set to introduce bans on the use of snares and glue traps in Wales - and also paves the way for a new payments scheme which could incentivise farmers to deliver the highest standards of animal welfare. The bill was voted through at the Senedd on Tuesday, June 27.
A snare is a wire noose, usually attached to a stake, tree or another heavy object acting as an anchor. They are usually set to catch foxes or rabbits, but cannot distinguish between different species of animals - so are indiscriminate in what they catch. Since 2020, RSPCA officers have been called to attend 12 instances involving snares in Wales which had caught protected species such as badgers and in some cases, much-loved pets.
While self-locking snares are already illegal in Wales, others are not - but this legislation will prohibit the use of all snares, or any other cable restraint, for the purpose of killing or trapping a wild animal, or in any other way that is likely to injure a wild animal.
