Lead Ammunition: Toxic Legacy of Recreational Hunting

Every year, recreational hunters distribute tens of thousands of tons of lead across Europe's landscape. Lead shot lands in wetlands, rifle bullets fragment in animal bodies, gutpiles with ammunition residues remain in forests. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) estimates annual lead input from recreational hunting and shooting ranges at around 44,000 tons, of which approximately 14,000 tons from recreational hunting alone enter the terrestrial environment. The toxicological consequences are scientifically documented: At least 55,000 birds of prey are missing from Europe's populations because they have poisoned themselves through the food chain with ammunition lead. In Switzerland, golden eagles and bearded vultures die from lead fragments in gutpiles from high hunting, the Federal Food Safety Office explicitly warns of lead residues when consuming wild meat, and a motion for a national lead ban failed in the National Council in 2023 with 99 to 94 votes. Since February 2023, lead shot has been banned in EU wetlands, but a comprehensive ban has been blocked by the recreational hunting lobby for years. This dossier documents the facts, analyzes the political blockades and shows why lead ammunition is among the greatest avoidable environmental toxins of recreational hunting.

What awaits you here

Lead as environmental toxin: Why lead in ammunition is one of the greatest avoidable environmental problems of recreational hunting and what quantities annually enter Europe's soils and waters.
Birds of prey and predators: How golden eagles, bearded vultures and red kites ingest lead through gutpiles and carcasses and what the Leibniz study shows about 55,000 missing birds of prey.
Wild meat and health: Why authorities advise pregnant women and children against consuming wild game meat and why there is no safe threshold for lead in the body.
EU Regulation: How the lead shot ban in wetlands came about and why the REACH Committee has not yet reached agreement on a general ban by early 2026.
Swiss Patchwork: How Switzerland operates with a cantonal patchwork, why the Munz motion failed and what has changed since 2025.
Lobby and Resistance: What strategies the recreational hunting lobby employs to delay a lead ban, and how FACE, the ammunition industry and right-wing populist forces work together.
What would need to change: Demands for a comprehensive lead ban in Switzerland.
Arguments: Responses to the most common justifications from lead ammunition advocates.
Quick links: All relevant articles, studies, dossiers and sources.

Lead: What a Shot Leaves Behind in the Landscape

Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal that does not degrade in the environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists it among the ten most dangerous substances for human health. Lead has long been banned from petrol, paints, water pipes and toys in Europe. In recreational hunting, it remains the standard to this day.

The dimensions are considerable. The ECHA estimates that 600 to 700 million shotgun cartridges are fired annually in the EU. Of these, around 5,000 tonnes of lead end up in wetlands alone, with thousands more tonnes in fields, forests and shooting ranges. Up to 250 lead pellets are released per shotgun blast, of which only a fraction hits the target, the rest remains in the environment. With rifle bullets, the lead shatters on impact into hundreds of fragments that spread throughout the game carcass and remain in nature with the offal when gutting. Without further regulation, according to ECHA, around 876,000 tonnes of lead from recreational hunting, sport shooting and fishing would enter the European environment over the next twenty years.

Lead does not degrade in soil. It accumulates, is transported by rainwater into deeper layers and can contaminate groundwater in the long term. Near shooting facilities in Schleswig-Holstein, soil samples with lead concentrations in the gram-per-kilogram range have already been measured. What recreational hunting introduces into the landscape remains there for generations.

More on this: Lead in Hunting: How Politics, Lobby and Transition Periods Keep a Poison Alive and Wild Game Meat: Criticism of Risks, Ethics and Environmental Consequences

Birds of Prey and Predators: Poisoned Through the Food Chain

The toxicological effects of lead ammunition on birds of prey are among the best-documented environmental damages of recreational hunting. In 2022, scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) published a study in the journal 'Science of the Total Environment' that for the first time quantified the extent of lead poisoning at the European level. The result: At least 55,000 adult birds of prey are missing in Europe because they have poisoned themselves with ammunition lead through the food chain. The total population of ten studied raptor species is at least six percent smaller than it should be due to lead poisoning alone.

Most severely affected are long-lived species with low reproductive rates. The sea eagle population in Europe has declined by 14 percent, that of the golden eagle by 13 percent, and that of the griffon vulture by 12 percent. Even more common species like the common buzzard (minus 1.5 percent, which still corresponds to around 22’000 missing birds) and the red kite (minus 3 percent) are affected. In Germany, almost one-third of dead sea eagles found in recent years died from lead poisoning. The study also demonstrates a clear correlation between hobby hunter density and poisoning rates: the more hobby hunters active per square kilometer in a country, the more poisoned raptors are found. In a country where no lead ammunition is used, according to the scientists' calculations, there would be virtually no lead-poisoned raptors.

The poisoning mechanism is well understood. Raptors and predators ingest lead fragments when they feed on gut piles (the entrails of killed animals left in the forest), when they prey on wounded and unfound game animals, or when they feed on carcasses of animals shot with lead ammunition. The aggressive stomach acid of raptors dissolves the metallic lead and accelerates its absorption into the bloodstream. Even tiny amounts can lead to loss of appetite, cramps, paralysis, inability to fly, and nervous system damage that is usually fatal. Besides raptors, the problem also affects other predators and scavengers like foxes, badgers, and wolves that ingest lead through contaminated carrion.

In Switzerland, the Sempach Bird Observatory together with the Graubünden Office for Hunting and Fishing has proven the connection between ammunition lead and golden eagle poisoning. An isotope analysis showed that the lead signature in golden eagle bones does not match natural soil lead, but corresponds exactly to the lead from hunting ammunition. Camera traps were able to prove that golden eagles systematically use gut piles from high-altitude and ibex hunting. In the Swiss Alps, golden eagles and bearded vultures have demonstrably died from lead poisoning. For the bearded vultures released in the Bavarian Alps since 2021, lead-containing ammunition poses the greatest danger according to conservationists.

According to estimates, around one million waterfowl die annually in the EU from lead poisoning through shot, and another one to two million land birds from lead poisoning through bullet fragments. Around 135 million birds in the EU are threatened overall by lead poisoning. The poisoning affects not only raptors but also partridges, pheasants, and wood pigeons that mistake lead particles for food.

More on this: The Dangers of Lead Ammunition and Wolf in Switzerland

Game meat and health: When the 'natural' is contaminated

Lead contamination affects not only wildlife but directly human health. Lead is harmful to humans at any concentration. According to current scientific understanding, there is no safe threshold value for lead in blood. Even 3.5 micrograms per deciliter of blood can trigger behavioral abnormalities in children.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Germany has comprehensively investigated the connection between lead ammunition and game meat. The results show that game meat killed with lead ammunition contains significantly higher lead levels than venison obtained with lead-free ammunition, even in meat pieces further from the entry wound such as back or leg. The lead fragments are often not visible to the naked eye and are not rendered harmless by cooking, roasting, or freezing. The BfR recommends that small children, pregnant women, and women wishing to have children should avoid eating game killed with lead ammunition as much as possible.

In Switzerland, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) also recommends consuming wild game shot with lead ammunition only in small quantities. For children up to seven years of age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and women trying to conceive, the recommendation is: avoid eating wild game as much as possible, 'because it cannot be ruled out that it was shot with lead ammunition'. This is a remarkable statement in an official federal recommendation. In plain terms, it means: uncertainty remains built into purchases and on the plate as long as lead ammunition is not comprehensively banned.

Swiss Animal Protection (STS) had wild game products from domestic recreational hunting tested for their lead content in 2022. Lead was detected in 5 of 13 samples in concentrations above 0.05 mg/kg. ECHA estimates that a general ban on lead in hunting ammunition could prevent IQ loss in around 7,000 children per year in the EU, in households that consume wild game particularly frequently.

Hobby hunters and their families are particularly exposed: studies from Switzerland show that in hobby hunter households, up to 90 portions of wild game are consumed per year. Even during shooting itself, hobby hunters and sport shooters are exposed to lead vapors and lead dust. The irony is obvious: those who promote 'natural, healthy' wild game as hobby hunters fail to mention that their own tools contaminate the product.

More on this: Risks of Wild Game: Health, Environment and Ethics and Wild Game: From Shot to Plate

EU Regulation: From Wetland Ban to Endless Negotiation Marathon

The EU regulation of lead ammunition is a case study of how scientific clarity meets political delay. The path began in 2018 when ECHA recommended a complete ban on lead shot in wetlands. After a consultation and review process lasting over five years, Regulation (EU) 2021/57 came into force on February 15, 2023: since then, the shooting and carrying of lead shot in and within 100 meters of wetlands has been banned in all countries of the European Economic Area. The regulation establishes a reversal of the burden of proof: hobby hunters carrying lead shot near wetlands must prove that they did not intend to use the ammunition there.

The wetland ban was conceived from the beginning as a first step. In January 2021, ECHA submitted a comprehensive restriction proposal to ban lead in all hunting ammunition, outdoor sport shooting, and fishing tackle. ECHA's scientific committees (RAC and SEAC) confirmed that the restriction is justified due to risks to the environment and human health. The proposed restriction would reduce lead emissions by around 630,000 tons over twenty years, a reduction of 72 percent.

In February 2025, the EU Commission presented its draft regulation for a general lead ban in recreational hunting and outdoor sport shooting to the REACH Committee. The draft provides for transition periods: three years for lead shot in recreational hunting, 18 months for rifle ammunition over 5.6 mm caliber, five to ten years for small caliber. In December 2025, the Commission submitted a revised draft that extended the transition periods for rifle ammunition over 5.6 mm to five years and for small caliber to 15 years with a review clause after ten years. BirdLife International called the draft a 'historic step'. However, discussions in the REACH Committee continue into early 2026, as a majority of member states do not yet support the Commission's proposal, mainly due to geopolitical concerns and socioeconomic impacts raised by the ammunition industry and agricultural lobby.

In parallel, Great Britain announced a ban on lead ammunition for outdoor shooting in July 2025, set to take effect from 2026: maximum 1 percent lead in shot, maximum 3 percent in rifle bullets, with a three-year transition period. Denmark has been the first country worldwide with a comprehensive ban on lead-containing hunting ammunition since April 2024. In the Netherlands, lead shot has been banned for years. In Germany, four out of 16 federal states have banned lead-containing rifle ammunition for recreational hunting. Additionally, lead ammunition is prohibited in state forests of several federal states and in national parks.

More on this: Wolf in Europe: Protection Status and European Initiatives

Swiss Patchwork: Recognition Without Consequence

In Switzerland, the typical pattern emerges: The problem is acknowledged, but the solution is postponed. Since 1998, the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting has been banned, after Switzerland joined the UN Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). For all other areas of application, there is no national ban.

On September 27, 2020, the Swiss electorate rejected a proposal for a national hunting law. This also stopped a regulation for a partial lead bullet ban that the federal government had prepared as part of the revision. Motion 22.3641 by SP National Councillor Martina Munz, which demanded an extensive ban on lead-containing ammunition, was narrowly rejected by the National Council in the spring session of 2023, with 99 to 94 votes. The business documentation explicitly states that one could 'temporarily' refrain from a general ban on lead-containing shot. This is the Swiss variant of delay: One acknowledges the problem selectively, but leaves broad areas open.

At the cantonal level, a patchwork is emerging. The canton of Graubünden has banned lead-containing bullet ammunition for high hunting since September 2021, with a one-year transition period. Even before the ban, according to cantonal information, around 75 percent of Graubünden recreational hunters voluntarily used lead-free ammunition. An examination of over 8,000 shots showed no significant difference in flight distances between lead-free and lead-containing ammunition. Appenzell Ausserrhoden enacted a regulation in 2022 that makes bullet ammunition lead-free. St. Gallen already ordered the game wardens to switch to lead-free ammunition. On February 1, 2025, a new hunting law came into force that prohibits the use of lead-containing bullet ammunition for recreational hunting of ungulates. For calibers over 6 mm, a transition period applies until 2029.

But large gaps remain. Lead-containing shot is still permitted for recreational hunting outside of wetlands. Many cantons have not enacted their own regulations and are waiting for a national solution that does not come. The consequence: a cantonal patchwork situation in which 'lead-free' is a formal goal, but is not actually enforced for years. The result is a regulatory fog in which one is 'working on it' but never finishes.

More on this: Special Hunts and the Limits of Recreational Hunting and Switzerland Hunts, But Why Actually Still?

Lobby and Resistance: The Tools of Delay

The blockade of a comprehensive lead ban is not coincidence, but the result of systematic lobbying. When one compares the debates in the EU, in Great Britain, in the USA and in Switzerland, three recurring strategies emerge.

First: Transition periods as political sedatives. One declares the switch to be the goal, but postpones implementation for years or decades. In the EU draft of December 2025, the transition period for small-caliber ammunition now amounts to 15 years. Every extension of a transition period keeps sales markets open, prevents a clean switch and creates new loopholes.

Second: technical red herrings. The hobby hunting lobby claims that lead-free ammunition has inferior killing power, causes more ricochets, and is 'not yet mature technology.' The German Testing and Certification Institute for Hunting and Sporting Weapons (DEVA) has proven in a large-scale trial that lead-free projectiles can be deployed just as safely as lead-based ones. The experience from Graubünden, where over 8,000 shots were evaluated, confirms this. In Denmark, which has practiced a comprehensive lead ban since April 2024, no problems with lead-free ammunition have been documented. The resistance is not a technical problem, but a cultural and economic one.

Third: political alliances with ammunition industry-friendly forces. In the EU Parliament in 2020, right-wing populist and neofascist factions attempted to block the already decided wetlands ban at the last minute. The European hobby hunting umbrella organization FACE organized an event in the EU Parliament in November 2025, where the European Ammunition Manufacturers Association (AFEMS) warned of 'significant consequences' for the industry. FACE has accompanied the REACH process for years with the declared goal of extending transition periods, pushing through exceptions, and delaying the adoption of the general ban. The line of argument is always the same: they are 'fundamentally' in favor of a transition, but implementation is 'too fast,' 'too broad,' or 'not yet practical.'

The environmental organization BirdLife International concludes: 'It is unprecedented that scientific recommendations are so brutally disregarded.' An insider from the Brussels administration confirms: 'Normally, recommendations from ECHA, which often come at the end of years-long consultations, are followed. The fact that such an obviously plausible ban encounters such resistance is astonishing.' The parallel to other lobby battles by hobby hunters, such as against the protected status of wolves, is obvious: when scientific evidence becomes inconvenient for a lobby, they don't provide arguments but buy time.

More on this: Hobby hunters are praised and Hunting myths: 12 claims you should critically examine

What would need to change

Immediate ban on lead-containing bullet ammunition in hobby hunting throughout Switzerland: Without cantonal loopholes and without years-long transition periods. The technology is mature, the experiences from Graubünden, Denmark and other countries prove that lead-free ammunition functions equivalently.
Ban on lead shot outside wetlands: The existing ban in wetlands is ecologically insufficient as long as lead shot remains permitted in fields, forests and forest edges. The contamination affects the entire terrestrial ecosystem.
Mandatory disposal of offal and carcass remains: As long as hobby hunters leave the offal of killed animals with ammunition residues lying in the forest, the poisoning chain for birds of prey and predators remains active. Model motion: Ban on lead ammunition in hobby hunting
Declaration requirement for game meat: Consumers must know whether game meat was killed with lead-based or lead-free ammunition. Without transparency, there is no informed purchasing decision and no market pressure for the transition.
Active support for the EU-wide lead ban by Switzerland: Even though Switzerland is not an EU member, it is part of the Alpine region and affected by the same poisoning pathways. A national lead ban would strengthen the credibility of Swiss environmental policy.

Arguments

'Lead-free ammunition is not yet mature.' The opposite is the case. In Denmark, all lead ammunition has been banned in recreational hunting since April 2024, without documented problems. In Graubünden, over 8,000 evaluated shots showed no significant difference in flight distances. The German Testing and Verification Institute for Hunting and Sport Weapons confirms that lead-free projectiles can be used just as safely. Copper and copper-zinc alloys are available in all common calibers. The 'not-yet-ready' argument is a delay tactic, not a technical fact.

'Lead input from recreational hunting is minimal compared to other sources.' The comparison with historical lead emissions from gasoline or industry obscures the fact that lead ammunition is today one of the last major, actively managed lead sources. 44,000 tons annually is not a marginal problem. Moreover, lead input from recreational hunting is locally concentrated: In hunting areas, at shooting ranges and along wetlands, hotspots are created that directly affect wildlife.

'The ECHA figures are exaggerated.' Even conservative estimates prove substantial impacts. The Leibniz study on 55,000 missing raptors is based on liver data from over 3,000 dead raptors in 13 countries, collected since the 1970s. The authors describe their own calculations as conservative. The connection between hobby hunter density and lead poisoning rate is statistically clear: More hobby hunters mean more poisoned raptors. In a country without lead ammunition, there would be no lead-poisoned raptors.

'A lead ban endangers national defense.' The EU restriction affects exclusively civilian use. Military and police use of lead ammunition is explicitly exempted. The ammunition industry can continue to operate existing production lines for civilian and military purposes in parallel. The ECHA has explicitly stated in its restriction proposal that military supply security will not be impaired.

'Voluntary measures are sufficient, a ban is disproportionate.' In Great Britain, voluntary conversion programs have demonstrably failed, which is why the government announced state restrictions in 2025. In Switzerland, despite years of recommendations from JagdSchweiz, a relevant proportion of hobby hunters continue to use lead ammunition. The lead author of the Leibniz study, Rhys Green, states: 'Efforts to promote voluntary conversion have unfortunately been completely ineffective so far.' When a poison is known, alternatives exist and voluntary measures fail, a ban is not an overreaction, but the logical consequence.

'This only affects hunters, not the general public.' Lead ammunition poisons raptors, predators, waterfowl, soils and groundwater. Game meat with lead residues ends up in restaurants and private households. Pregnant women and children are officially warned. This is not a private matter of a hobby group, but a public health and environmental problem.

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Our commitment

Lead ammunition is a toxic legacy that kills birds of prey, contaminates soils, burdens game meat and poisons predators. The facts have been known for decades, alternatives are available, resistance is purely politically and economically motivated. This dossier documents why a hunting system that distributes a known environmental toxin across the landscape out of tradition and lobby interests does not fit with modern environmental and health policy, and why Switzerland does not need to wait for the EU to act. The dossier is continuously updated when new data, judgments or political developments require it.

More on recreational hunting: In our hunting dossier we compile fact-checks, analyses and background reports.