Belgium bans import of hunting trophies

Belgium bans trophy imports

The minister's preliminary draft law follows the unanimous vote of the federal parliament of the Kingdom of Belgium, which in March 2022 adopted a resolution calling on the government to immediately stop issuing import permits for trophies of a wide range of threatened and endangered animal species.

This resolution protects species such as the hippopotamus, the southern white rhinoceros, the African savanna elephant, the lion, the polar bear and the argali sheep, which are killed for hobby hunting and the trophy hunting industry. The scope of the resolution also extends to all species listed in Annex A and certain species in Annex B of European Regulation 338/97 on the protection of specimens of wild fauna and flora.

Member of Parliament Kris Verduyckt (Vooruit, Flemish Socialists), initiator of the legislative proposal to ban the import of hunting trophies in 2020 and author of the above-mentioned resolution, said:

«I am glad that the hard work is paying off. Minister Khattabi is now fully translating my proposal into a draft law and the entire Council of Ministers agrees with it. It is time that we truly begin to protect endangered species. Trophy hunters prefer to kill the largest and strongest animals, whose loss contributes to the disruption and decline of animal populations.»

The European office of the animal welfare organization Humane Society International, which has long campaigned against the importation of trophies from endangered species, praised the government's decision. Ruud Tombrock, Executive Director of HSI/Europe, said:

«We welcome the fact that the parliament's unanimous resolution has been translated into a legislative measure, and we look forward to studying the details of the legislation once it is published. Belgium is setting an example for other countries in Europe that have not yet responded to the demands of their citizens to ban the importation of hunting trophies. The next step must be an EU-wide ban on the importation of hunting trophies of endangered and protected species, reflecting the views of citizens across all member states of the European Union.»

Over the past 16 months, HSI/Europe has worked with Members of Parliament to ensure that the unanimous parliamentary resolution is translated into law, and today's approval is the culmination of those efforts. Members of Parliament from various political parties have maintained pressure on Environment Minister Khattabi. A response to a parliamentary question from MP Jan Briers (CD&V, Flemish Christian Democrats) revealed that the ministry had only stopped issuing permits for the importation of animal trophies as of mid-March 2023 – a delay that has outraged many members of parliament.

Bans in Europe

This landmark decision by the Belgian government reflects the strong opinion of the Belgian public. A survey commissioned by HSI/Europe from Ipsos in 2020 found that 91% of Belgian citizens oppose trophy hunting and 88% support a ban on the importation of hunting trophies of any kind.

Today, Belgium has joined the urgent European call for action against trophy hunting, joining the ranks of countries such as the Netherlands, France and Finland, each of which has introduced bans and restrictions on the importation of hunting trophies to varying degrees. The fight against trophy hunting is gaining momentum across the continent. Active discussions about bans are already underway in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Poland, though at varying stages of progress.

Belgium joins several other EU countries that have enacted a ban on trophy hunting:

• The Netherlands introduced a trophy hunting ban in May 2016 covering more than 200 species, based on Annex A of European Regulation 338/97 on the protection of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade in them and in species threatened with extinction. An import ban also applies to the following Annex B species: white rhinoceros, hippopotamus, African elephant, mouflon (wild sheep from the Caucasus), lion and polar bear. In total, 200 animal species are affected by the ban on import licences.
• France enacted a ban on the import of lion trophies in 2015. In 2023, a registration bill was introduced aimed at “stopping the issuance of import permits for hunting trophies of certain endangered species”.
• The import of hunting trophies into Finland has been restricted since June 2023. The new Nature Conservation Act contains a clause prohibiting the import of individual animals or their parts belonging to the world's most critically endangered species, threatened by international trade as trophies from countries outside the EU.

A ban is also being discussed in other European countries:

• In the United Kingdom, British lawmakers voted in March 2023 to ban the import of hunting trophies for 6’000 endangered animal species, making it one of the strictest in the world. The legislation is now being debated in the House of Lords.
• In Germany, Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) announced in April 2022 her intention to restrict the import of hunting trophies from protected animal species. Germany terminated its membership in the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) as of 2023.
• In Italy, a bill was introduced in 2022 that would prohibit the import, export and re-export of hunting trophies from animals protected under CITES to and from Italy. Following the collapse of the government and subsequent elections, the same bill was reintroduced in parliament in 2023.
• In Poland, a bill introduced by the Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, was discussed in committee this month and is expected to be further considered in August 2023.

Facts about trophy hunting:

• Trophy hunting of endangered species poses a serious threat to conservation efforts for these species and to the world's natural heritage. Trophy hunters preferentially kill the largest and strongest animals, whose loss leads to a decline in populations. The affected species, such as African elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, leopards and others, are already threatened with extinction and play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and biodiversity. The loss of these iconic animals not only disrupts the delicate ecological balance, but also undermines cultural and historical significance. Many species play an important role in their ecosystems, and their removal can have cascading effects on other wildlife, vegetation, and the overall health of the ecosystem.
• The EU is the second largest importer of hunting trophies after the United States, as a 2021 report by Humane Society International/Europe shows, with an average of 3’000 imported trophies in the period between 2014 and 2018.
• Germany is the world's second largest trophy importer of protected wildlife. Within the EU, Germany is by far the largest importer. No country imported more trophies of the wild lion into the EU in the period 2014–2018. Germany also led during this period in the import of hunting trophies of the African elephant.
• The 10 most common species imported as trophies into the EU are: Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) (3’119), chacma baboon (1’751), American black bear (Ursus americanus) (1’415), brown bear (1’056), African elephant (952), African lion (Panthera leo) (889), African leopard (Panthera pardus) (839), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (794), caracal (Caracal caracal) (480) and red lechwe (Kobus leche) (415).
• The EU was the largest importer of cheetah trophies (Acinonyx jubatus), with 297 trophies imported into the EU during the period under review (2014–2018).
• Belgium is the 13th largest importer of hunting trophies of internationally protected species in Europe.
• Shortly before the vote on the resolution last year, Animal Rights Belgium, another organization campaigning against the import of hunting trophies into Belgium, handed a petition with 37’000 signatures supporting the ban to Environment Minister Zakia Khattabi.