No Blood Alcohol Limit for Graubünden Hobby Hunters

Update 18.10.2016: Parliament overturns the law: No blood alcohol limit for hobby hunters in Graubünden after all.

No blood alcohol limit comparable to road traffic regulations will be introduced for recreational hunting in Graubünden. The majority of the cantonal parliament rejected the introduction of alcohol limits, leaving the cantonal government empty-handed.

On Monday, the Graubünden Grand Council had still signalled its willingness to proceed with the government's proposed revision of the cantonal hunting law Graubünden would have been the first canton to include alcohol limits in its hunting legislation.

85 to 26: Alcohol limits rejected

However, the relevant legislative articles did not survive the detailed deliberations on Tuesday. They were removed from the proposal by 85 votes to 26.

A minority of the committee had vigorously opposed the inclusion of the legal provisions on alcohol. “Hobby hunting in Graubünden does not have an alcohol problem,” said the spokesperson for the committee minority. To date, alcohol had not been a factor in a single hunting accident The new provisions were “completely disproportionate.”

Cantonal councillor Mario Cavigelli defended the proposal, which specifically set a blood alcohol limit of 0.5 per mille. While this corresponded to the limit in road traffic, the sanctions for violations among hobby hunters were far milder. There would only be a fine and, at most, a conditional suspension of the hunting licence.

Licence fees only marginally increased

The cantonal government was fighting a losing battle. Parliament showed itself to be accommodating towards hobby hunters not only on the alcohol question, but also regarding the fees for the three-week licence hunting season in September. The licence fees for residents were not raised from 697 francs to 800 francs as proposed by the government, but only to 750 francs.

Background: Popular initiative and hunting law revision

The provision stipulating that the same blood alcohol limits as those in road traffic legislation shall apply during recreational hunting is part of the valid popular initiative “For Nature-Compatible and Ethical Hunting.” The cantonal government of Graubünden adopted several points from the initiative by the association Wildtierschutz Schweiz and incorporated them into the revision of the cantonal hunting law.

There is no “acute alcohol problem among hobby hunters,” said cantonal councillor Mario Cavigelli. Hobby hunters do not want to wander around drunk, but to make a kill while out hunting. However, there is a societal expectation to set a signal in this regard.

The popular initiative “For Nature-Compatible and Ethical Hunting,” which comprises nine demands, was rejected by the council with 112 votes and one abstention. The upcoming revision of the hunting law therefore serves as an indirect counter-proposal to the initiative.

Second Hunting Initiative Rejected

This is the second hunting initiative that parliament has wanted nothing to do with within a year and a half. The first popular initiative, which sought to abolish special hunting seasons, was declared invalid by the council on the grounds that it conflicted with higher-level law. The Graubünden Administrative Court upheld the parliamentary decision. The case is currently before the Federal Supreme Court for ruling.

Recreational hunting in Graubünden is under pressure not only because of the two popular initiatives. Even the hobby hunters themselves do not always agree among themselves. Recreational hunting in Switzerland's largest canton is by far the biggest in the country. Over 5’000 hobby hunters take to the field each September for three weeks of licensed hunting. A total of around 15’000 animals are shot, primarily red deer, marmots, chamois, and roe deer.