HOW YOUR SUPPORT SECURED A BAN ON USING SNARES IN WALES
Posted 3rd October 2022
On 26 September, the Agriculture (Wales) Bill was published, containing a much welcome ban on the use of snares in Wales. This development came after years of tireless campaigning by wildlife enthusiasts like you, who want animals to be free from the threat of being trapped in these cruel devices.
In the accompanying documents that were published along with the Bill, your efforts were noted on several occasions – clearly showing the impact your voices have had.
In March 2021, the Welsh Government ran a 12-week consultation giving stakeholders an opportunity to give their feedback on the proposed legislation. According to the aforementioned documents, almost 80% of the responses received were from our supporters, calling for the Bill to include a comprehensive ban on the use, sale, possession, and manufacture of snares.
The petition you helped us launch in 2017 calling for snares to be prohibited, which collected more than 1,400 signatures, is also mentioned, along with our polling which proved that like you 78% of the public in Wales want the use of snares to be made illegal.
The influence your actions have had on securing a ban on the use of these awful traps cannot be underestimated. We would like to thank you on behalf of every animal who will be safer from snares as a result.
While a ban on the use of these devices marks an important step in the right direction when it comes to protecting the wildlife we love, we are calling for the Welsh Government to go even further. If we are to fully protect animals such as foxes, badgers and domestic pets such as cats, we need the sale, manufacture and possession of snares to be prohibited in Wales too.
We have written to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths MS, to call for consideration to be given to whether these elements of snaring can be included in the Agriculture (Wales) Bill before it comes into force.
The Senedd’s Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee will be conducting scrutiny of the proposed legislation over the coming months, which the League will engage with as a key stakeholder.
You have done so much already to help create a better future for animals in Wales and your support will be paramount towards ensuring the Bill passes through the Senedd quickly - hopefully with even more weight behind it.
We’ll keep you updated with how you can help, but here are the actions you can take today to stand up for animals in Wales…
Complete our e-action: If you haven’t already, you can complete our online action here: https://takeaction.league.org.uk/page/84366/action/1. This will enable you to ask your Members of the Senedd to bring snaring and the caged breeding of game birds to the attention of Lesley Griffiths MS, Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd.
Contact your Members of the Senedd:Speaking to your Members of the Senedd (everyone in Wales has five – one constituency and four regional) is the best way of showing them that their constituents care about animal welfare. You can do this via email, letter, phone, social media or in person. To find out who represents you, please visit: https://senedd.wales/find-a-member-of-the-senedd/