FARMERS have been banned from using glue traps, following the release of the Victorian Government's updated animal cruelty regulations today.

The new Prevention of Cruelty to Animals regulations dictate glue traps may only be used by commercial pest control operators, with the approval of Victoria's agriculture minister.

Farm industry groups, including the Victorian Farmers Federation, appealed to the government not to ban the traps in their submissions to the draft regulations.

The VFF argued glue traps were an invaluable tool for controlling rodents and favoured by many farmers because they were non-toxic.

The traps are made up of a board covered in extremely sticky, non-drying glue that traps rodents.

But the Department of Primary Industries regulatory impact statement, released in November, said a scientific review of glue traps found they were one of the most inhumane methods of rodent control.

The new regulations also:
- ban the use of twisted bits on horses.
- ban the transportation of dogs and livestock in the boot of a car.
- restrict the use of some electric shock devices on animals.

The new regulations can be viewed on the Victorian Department of Primary Industries website.