Rules designed to make animal snares less cruel will come into force on Thursday, despite a widespread campaign to have the devices banned outright.

New legislation means the traps will now have to be checked once a day. Nooses will no longer be allowed to tighten beyond a certain point and the traps will need to be fixed down to ensure they cannot be dragged by injured animals. The Scottish Government measures will also make it illegal for snares to be set to trap and suspend or drown creatures.

Supporters of the measures insist snares are a vital conservation tool and key for managing pests such as foxes. However, opponents say that they are a crude measure and should be banned outright.

Louise Robertson, from the League Against Cruel Sports, said: "These regulations are a complete whitewash and will go no way towards reducing the huge level of suffering caused by such a basic wire trap.

"The government based its decision purely on the financial gain to be made from commercial shooting and with complete lack of regard for animal welfare.

"As long as snares are legal, animals will continue to suffer horrific injuries and slow, agonising deaths."

However, the government insists it has not stopped one step short. The Snares (Scotland) Order amends the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and MSPs say the changes were agreed following wide public consultation.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We believe snaring has an essential role to play in effective countryside management. However, we recognise that procedures need to be tightened up to ensure they are only used in the right circumstances by people with the right skills.

"This legislation, together with measures introduced in the new Wildlife Bill, strengthens the laws governing the use of snares and improves animal welfare."

Alex Hogg, chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, said the decision not to enforce an outright ban was of huge relief to many in the gaming and farming industries.

He added: "An overabundance of foxes can cause enormous damage to free-range poultry flocks, newborn lambs, game birds and some of our most vulnerable upland wader species.

"Snares are the most effective way of controlling fox populations and are, therefore, a vital management and conservation tool."

Training courses have now been developed with the government for anyone who uses snares and Mr Hogg insisted: "Our industry acknowledges that some organisations will always oppose particular management tools they do not like or fully understand, and we are committed to ensuring that snaring will be practised professionally for the benefit of everyone who enjoys the biodiversity in our countryside."