The Welsh Government has announced its intention to ban the use of glue boards in Wales.

While the Welsh Government had previously said it plans to ban snares, this is the first time they have committed to doing the same for glue traps too.

The announcement follows RSPCA Cymru's recent #LawsForPaws campaign - where animal lovers across Wales sent thousands of emails to their members of the Senedd, urging them to propose RSPCA-backed animal-friendly proposals, including a Glue Trap Offences (Wales) Bill.

The Welsh Government has responded by confirming it backs the bill.

David Bowles, the head of public affairs at the RSPCA, said: "These traps can cause immense pain and suffering to animals, and should have no place in modern Wales. So we're absolutely delighted that the Welsh Government has now announced plans to outlaw glue traps once and for all, as it outlines its next steps linked to the landmark Agriculture (Wales) Bill."

The new Bill will enable a full ban on the use of glue traps to catch rodents.

UK Government

Public outrage at the use of glue traps has grown in recent years; in England, the Government has already backed a Bill banning the use of glue boards for pest control, which will make the continued use of them hard to defend. 

A Government press release from June stated:

“The new Bill will enable a full ban on the use of glue traps to catch rodents.

“The UK has a strong history of leading the way on animal welfare and now that we have left the EU, the Government is committed to improving these standards even further by delivering a series of ambitious reforms, outlined in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare”.

Following consultation with members, it was decided that BPCA would lobby government to consider the continued use of glue boards for pest management professionals. 

MORE ON THE GLUE BOARD SAGA

In PPC104 we ran an Animal Welfare special, with lots of information on how we arrived at a ban on glue boards and what's to come. 

ppconline.org/ppc104