Youth movement sets the party on compassionate path
Congratulations to Liberal Youth Scotland (LYS) – the youth section of the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party – on securing an overwhelming vote at this weekend’s party conference for a ban on the manufacture, sale and use of snares.
OneKind has been delighted to support the LYS campaign on snaring so it was a real pleasure on Friday to travel to Dundee where the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference was being held. There was high security to get into the venue but I was assured that was because the Deputy Prime Minister was attending and not because of the OneKind and LYS fringe meeting on snaring.
The well attended meeting was chaired by well-known Lib Dem blogger Caron Lindsay and addressed by David Green, LYS President, Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn of the Scottish SPCA, and Libby Anderson on behalf of OneKind. Delegates were clearly shocked to learn about the nature and extent of suffering caused to wild animals by these primitive traps.
David Green argued that, in addition to being unacceptably cruel, snares caused damage to biodiversity due to the enormous number of non-target – often protected – animals that they capture. All speakers agreed that Scotland complex new legislation offered some advantages over the unregulated situation south of the border, but had not succeeded in ending the unnecessary suffering of both target and non-target animals. Concern was expressed about the low proportion of current snare users undertaking the mandatory training.
As a matter of principle, the liberal movement does not readily support banning activities, preferring to promote personal choice. However, David Green argued strongly during the debate on the LYS motion that snaring was simply “beyond the pale” and there was no effective alternative to supporting a ban.
OneKind polling in 2010 indicated that 83% of people in Scotland who supported the Liberal democrats wanted to see a ban on snaring. In terms of the wider population, support for a ban stood at 77%, including 75% in rural areas.
OneKind looks forward to seeing Scottish Liberal Democrat representatives following the policy set by their party conference, and voting against the continued legal use of snares in any future debates. The Scottish legislation is due for review in 2016, and a wholesale review of wildlife law is currently being undertaken for England and Wales, with a Bill expected to be published in 2014.
For more information on snaring visit www.snarewatch.org