Thank you very much for contacting me about the League Against Cruel Sports’ campaign on snares.
As I understand it, snares are controlled in England and Wales under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This prohibits the use of self-locking snares and the setting of any type of snare in places where they are likely to catch certain non-target animals such as badgers. It also requires snares to be inspected on a daily basis. In addition, I know that snares must not be set where there is evidence of regular use by non-target species. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 prohibits causing unnecessary suffering to animals under the control of man, including those animals caught in traps. Trapped animals should be released from a snare trap as soon as reasonably practicable after discovery to ensure they do not unnecessarily suffer.
I am aware that the Welsh Government published a Code of best practice on the use of snares in fox control, which, amongst other things, instructs that individuals should always consider non-lethal and other lethal methods of solving pest management issues, and that snares should only be used if the alternatives are impractical, prohibitively expensive or would not be effective.
On gamebirds, in England, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 already makes it an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to any animal, including gamebirds. This legislation is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes. However, as I understand it, the previous Welsh Labour-led Government undertook a review of the code of practice for rearing game birds last year and engaged with key stakeholders in the process. Unfortunately, its publication has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As you noted, our Manifesto contained a number of key animal welfare pledges, and we have campaigned vigorously to introduce higher animal welfare standards in Wales for a number of years. I assure you that my colleagues and I will continue to do so for the duration of the next Welsh Parliament.
Thank you once again for taking the time to write to me.
