2024 – Snares banned in Scotland

After decades of campaigning by OneKind and others, in March 2024 the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 introduced a full ban on the use of snares in Scotland.

The ban came into force in November that year.

There were key steps towards the ban. In 2011 the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (WANE) brought in the most stringent regulation of snaring in the UK. The Scottish Government committed to reviewing this every 5 years.

Imagery from the front cover of report: Cruel and Indiscriminate: why Scotland must become snare-free

In 2016 OneKind published a report Cruel and Indiscriminate: why Scotland must become snare-free, analysing the use of snares in Scotland since the 2011 legislation and their impact of animal welfare. The same year we submitted evidence, gathered by OneKind field research and investigations staff, to the Scottish Parliament, on the true nature and extent of snare use and its effects on animal welfare. This helped inform the review of snaring legislation.

Download report

In 2021 the Scottish Government again reviewed the snaring legislation. OneKind contributed reports from our SnareWatch website to the second review. In the same year there was also a wider review of the animal welfare impacts of snaring and OneKind met with officials to make the case for a ban, and submitted a joint statement from ten leading animal welfare organisations calling for one.

Our campaign had support from various politicians, naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, actor and animal advocate Peter Egan, and naturalist and TV presenter Bill Oddie. Musician Brian May and actors Joanna Lumley and Annette Crosbie wrote to the Scottish Government urging them to ban snares.

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