Glue traps: EU Commission puts France in the spotlight

France is to ban the catching of birds using glue traps, after the European Commission threatened legal action and fines.

The move has been welcomed by animal welfare activists, who describe the practice as “barbarian” and urged the French government not to yield to pressure from the militant hunting lobby.

Hobby hunters argue that the method of catching birds, known as Chasse à la Glu, is a centuries-old rural tradition.

The use of glue traps to catch birds has been banned in Europe since the Birds Directive of 1979, except under certain circumstances in which the practice is “controlled, selective and in limited quantities”.France has invoked these circumstances since 1989 to permit glue-trap catching in five south-eastern departments on the grounds that it is “traditional”.

The French bird protection league (LPO) presented hidden camera evidence to prove that the practice is not selective and poses a threat to endangered species, prompting the European Commission to act.

France , one of the last European countries to permit bird hunting with glue traps, now has until October to definitively ban this hunting practice.

At a meeting with hobby hunters last week, Barbara Pompili, the newly appointed Minister for Ecological Transition, stated that the Chasse à la Glu must end by October.

„This is a final warning from the European Commission. France cannot be the last country in which birds are allowed to be caught and barbarically tortured. This hunting practice is not selective and is cruel. “.

Yves Verilhac, Director of the LPO

The LPO estimates that 40,000 birds are caught each year by 5,000 hobby hunters using glue traps. The hobby hunters are permitted to catch four species, but the video shows robins, blue tits, and finches struggling and dying on adhesive sticks, or being stripped off like rubbish and discarded. Last year, LPO activists found a dead kestrel whose wings were glued together with adhesive.

Willy Schraen, the president of the hunting federation, said he was «completely opposed» to the government's decision to follow the directive, and warned that the hobby hunters were considering legal action.

„I hope the minister does not listen to the sirens in Brussels and stays true to what France represents with its traditions and strong values. This is a very old way of catching birdsFranceInfo.

He added: “I don't find it barbaric. I don't think those who practise this chasse à la glu are riff-raff. They are people with strong values who enjoy catching a few birds. Why is that a problem? The real question is: why does the head of the environment in Europe waste time pursuing a few Gaulois? We will legally defend the catching of birds with glue traps, because it is a symbol [of our culture].«

Yves Verilhac has called on the government not to give in. «If that is the case, the French people will pay fines running into millions for the sake of 5,000 hobby hunters», he said.

„The hunters paint this idyllic picture of country folk living off the land with their traditions, but these hobby hunters are not rural people. Most of them arrive from the city in expensive SUVs.“

Verilhac added: “Besides, not all traditions should be defended. Hunting with adhesive sticks is barbarism.”