TRAPPED - will England join Wales and Scotland in outlawing snares?

 Unpublished Landworker magazine 

The long struggle to outlaw snare traps that can bring immense suffering to wildlife and pets in England has taken a giant leap forward. This follows the government’s promised banning of the estimated 200,000 hidden wire traps within its Animal Welfare Strategy that was launched in December 2025.

England will follow the bans against these hidden dangers in 2023 and 20024 in Wales and Scotland respectively. Snares are widely used by the shooting industry. 

Outlawing snares has the overwhelming support of the public, with a OnePoll survey finding that 73% agree that animals have a right to live persecution free. 96 MPs had signed an Early Motion in support of riding the English countryside of snares.

According to DEFRA Secretary Emma Reynolds, MP, its strategy is aimed at “improving the lives of millions of animals across the UK at home, on farm and in the wild.’ Proposals include stronger rules on how animals are reared and slaughtered n the UK plus a ban on trail hunting, which the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) has demonstrated is frequently a ‘smokescreen’ for illegal hunting.

The government is committed to working with ‘interested parties’ to deliver their strategy by the end of 2030. So, whilst bodies such as LACS and Animal Aid have generally welcomed the government proposals they are not resting on their laurels. Take a look at their – and similar bodies – websites if you’d like to assist them.