France takes action against hunting accidents
The French government is taking action against hunting accidents. New measures are intended to improve public safety during the hunting season.
By the end of 2022, it could introduce several rules, including an alcohol restriction.
According to an Ipsos survey from last month, more than eight in ten French people were in favour of banning hunting on two days per week, including Sundays, and throughout all school holidays. The image of hunting is broadly negative.
The French have more negative than positive feelings towards hunting. Almost every other French person (48%) is now opposed to hunting, with 23% being completely against it. Only a quarter (26%) are in favour, while the last quarter (26%) are indifferent to the issue.
Equally, 65% believe that hunting is a cruel practice (31% strongly agree) and 57% believe it belongs to another era (27% strongly agree). On the other hand, the environmental impact of hunting is not really perceived, with only 38% considering it an environmentally harmful practice.
The most popular measure is the introduction of an annual medical examination with a vision test for the hunting licence.
The French government announced on 25.10.2022 a «roadmap to improve and ensure safety in hunting», which considers, among other things, the introduction of an alcohol offence or, in certain regions, hunting-free half-days.
The Secretary of State for Ecology, Bérangère Couillard, said during a trip to the Marne department:
Based on the Senate's proposals and the expertise of the French Office for Biodiversity, I will be conducting consultations with hunting associations, nature user associations, and local or national elected officials in the coming weeks to improve hunting practices and enhance the safety of practitioners and hikers. My goal is clear: I want maximum safety for everyone. Residents and hunters. And that requires better compliance with the rules, more information for local residents, and better spatial distribution. These measures must be operational and adapted to the diversity of our territories, and must not disadvantage either hunters or non-hunters.
Bérangère Couillard
A phase of coordination with the various stakeholders, particularly hunting associations, would be initiated, with the aim of adopting concrete measures (via orders or decrees) «by the end of the year, at the latest at the beginning of next year», she said. «My goal is clear: I want to work towards zero accidents in the coming years, and that can only be achieved through better compliance with the rules, more information for local residents, and better spatial distribution.«
Who is responsible for the controls?
According to figures from the French Office for Biodiversity, the number of hunting accidents has shown a downward trend over the past 20 years. However, for the 2021-2022 season, the OFB recorded 90 hunting accidents (bodily injuries related to the use of a hunting weapon), compared to 80 in the previous season. Among these were eight fatal accidents, two of which involved victims who were not hobby hunters.
Among the key approaches is the creation of an alcohol offence aligned with the same requirements as those for motorists. However, intoxication is already an aggravating circumstance in prosecutions following a hunting accident. «I am not here to penalise practitioners«, Bérangère Couillard nonetheless emphasised.
«Introducing an alcohol offence in hunting would be a good start, but who is to carry out the checks and what should the penalty look like? We should not rely on announcements«, said Muriel Arnal, president of the animal protection organisation One Voice.
No shooting within a radius of 30 degrees?
Another option is the introduction of a hunting-free half-day. The government favors implementation at the local level, in forests near cities or heavily frequented areas, but the State Secretary «does not close the door on a national approach» and states that hunting on Sundays «is not a taboo subject. Everything is on the table«.
A Senate committee, established in November 2021 – following the death of a 25-year-old man who was killed by a gunshot in front of his home in the Lot department – had rejected the idea of introducing a national hunting-free day in September.
One Voice recalls that, according to an Ipsos survey from last month, more than eight in ten French people support a hunting ban on two days per week, including Sundays, and during all school holidays. Measures are also being examined to better inform walkers about current hunting activities, possibly via a mobile app, or to prohibit shooting within a 30-degree radius to the left and right of recreational hunters, in order to prevent a hunting companion from being hit.
