The Scottish Parliament has led the way in outlawing cruel practices against animals. Holyrood was first to ban fox hunting and followed it up with loopholes being closed recently.
But sickening footage of a dead badger shows the urgent need for more legislation to clamp down on cruelty. The badger was caught in a lethal snare and died a horrible, agonising death. According to The League Against Cruel Sports, this pointless suffering is not a one-off.
They want the Scottish Government to consider an outright ban on these traps as part of legislation under consideration by Holyrood. The body says the status quo amounts to “regulating cruelty”.
Dr Elspeth Stirling, of the Scottish Badgers group, also said the animals are often left to endure “prolonged agonies, pain and a lingering death”. The government has claimed Scotland has the most robust legislation in the UK on the regulation of snares.
But the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission recently added their voice to support for a snaring ban in Scotland. They concluded: “Wild mammals and birds are known to be sentient and capable of experiencing pain and other negative sensations.
“Any traps that do not instantly kill or render them irreversibly unconscious are likely to impact their welfare.”
Labour MSP Colin Smyth has said he will amend the legislation if Ministers do not act. The Scottish Government should put animal welfare first by ensuring a robust snares ban is put in place.
Get on top of IT
The partial devolution of the benefits system was one the most significant transfers of power to Holyrood. Billions of pounds worth of social security payments came under the control of the Scottish Parliament in the wake of the referendum.
It also gave MSPs the opportunity to devise a system with compassion at its heart, in stark contrast to the punitive regime at Westminster. Policies like the £25-a-week Scottish Child Payment and the uprating of benefits in line with inflation have vindicated the decision to hand over control.
But the process of setting up new systems has been costly and complex. Our story today reveals that IT implementation costs have risen from £251million to £277million.
This compares with the £212million that was cited in 2020. Social Security Scotland has been a success story but they must keep control of costs during a tight period for public spending.
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