England: A setback for the friends of violence and bloodthirsty cruelty

Anyone who releases a captive-bred wild animal that is not capable of surviving in the wild at the time of release is guilty of animal cruelty.This applies, for example, to pheasants, ducks, partridges, and hares when they have been bred in captivity.

Every year, millions of birds are bred in France for the hunting industry. The birds are not only released and shot for hunting purposes within France, but many of them are also exported to other countries for the decadent and mindless hobby hunting trade.

On 20 December 2018, a court in Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France ruled in favour of the British ferry company P&O, which had refused to transport chicks to England for hunting purposes — citing concerns for its reputation.

The court thereby dismissed the lawsuit brought by two French breeding companies — a blow to Gibovendée and Envol de Retz, for whom the export of birds to England represented a turnover of approximately 13 million euros in 2017.

The two companies, which specialise in breeding pheasants and partridges, sued the shipping company P&O for «discrimination».

Millions of birds (pheasants, partridges, and grouse) are shot for fun in England during the hunting season — an estimated 100’000 per day!This represents a biomass greater than that of all native birds in England combined. It is estimated that 40% of the live targets are wounded and not killed by hobby hunters. Before these animals reach the shooting grounds, they have experienced a life of cruelty. They were transported and raised in small wire cages the size of an A4 sheet of paper. The conditions for these birds are often worse than what the law permits.

Brittany Ferries had already decided in 2015 to end its cooperation with the two exporters after a video published by the League Against Cruel Sports exposed the fate of chicks and partridges in England.

«If we lose all our carriers one after another, this means judicial liquidation«, said the breeders' lawyer, Alexandre Varaut. «At Gibovendée, that means 150 jobs and around forty breeders.«

The court did not disclose details of the ruling.