Wildlife crime in Scotland: 2018 annual report

8. Legislative Changes

Spring Traps Approval (Scotland) Amendment Order 2018

Changes to the Spring Trap Approval Order in Scotland came about because of requirements in the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS). AIHTS is an attempt to establish and enforce an international standard on humaneness for traps. It requires signatory countries to prohibit traps for fur-bearing species that will not pass a clearly specified humaneness test.

The Spring Traps Approval (Scotland) Amendment Order 2018 was laid before the Scottish Parliament on Friday 21st December and came into force on 3 January 2019. Several traps were removed from the approval order and others will be removed for use with stoats from 1 April 2020.