SRUC offers snaring training as new rules come in

SCOTLAND’S rural college, SRUC, is offering training courses on snaring following the introduction of new legislation which comes into force next week.

From 1 April, strict new regulations govern who is permitted to set snares for pest control and how snares should be set. Only those accredited to have completed a proper training course will be allowed to use snares.

Snares can be an important aid in controlling animals like foxes or rabbits but the college warn that a snare which does not comply with the regulations can be cruel and risks catching non target species, including pets.

“Anyone setting a snare in Scotland must now have proof they have been properly trained,” a college spokesperson said. “They must then apply to their local police station for a unique identification number, personal to them, which must be on the tags that are attached to all their snares.”

Snares must also be of an approved type and there are strict rules regarding siting and how snares are set, taking care to avoid risk of entanglement. The location of each snare must be recorded and they have to be checked every 24 hours.

“The new law is not confined to professional gamekeepers or pest controllers,” the spokesman added. “It applies equally to individual crofters, farmers, greenkeepers, gardeners and anyone who might use a snare in the course of their work.

“The use of snares is not something everyone agrees with but the government has decided they have a use in specific circumstances. The vital thing is that they are used according to the law.”