A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #361 - Ecology - Hunting: Between Retrograde Practice and Lax Institutions (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

On May 17, the National Federation of Hunters (FNC) called on its 
members to tour town halls to defend a "Manifesto for French Hunting." A 
text riddled with retrograde demands, it attempts to portray a minority, 
cruel, and dangerous activity as a pillar of public interest. With the 
2026 municipal elections in its sights, the FNC is seeking to woo mayors 
to continue imposing its vision of a rural world governed by guns. But 
behind the grand words lies an attempt to preserve at all costs a 
leisure activity that is losing legitimacy and completely out of step 
with contemporary ecological issues. Let's examine their eleven demands, 
grouped by theme. Rural Authoritarianism and Security Fantasy
Demand No. 6: "Rural community policing by hunting federations"

This is an attempt to seize control of security. It would entrust an 
armed corporation with social control functions over the territories, 
without democratic legitimacy. An explosive mix of private power and 
police. The expansion of private security into rural areas, as envisaged 
by projects in France, also recalls abuses observed elsewhere, 
particularly in Africa where private "rangers" ensure the security of 
national parks. Entrusting law enforcement functions to groups such as 
hunting federations could lead to the militarization of rural 
territories. This model, already observed in the form of private 
militias or paramilitaries in Venezuela, Colombia, and the United 
States, raises concerns about abuses of power, the lack of democratic 
control, and the reinforcement of social violence in areas far removed 
from central government.

Demand No. 2: "Stop paying hunters alone for big game damage"

This concerns damage caused to crops by "big game": red deer, mouflon, 
roe deer, chamois, and the notorious wild boar, whose proliferation 
hunters have been responsible for since the 1970s: they raised them, 
drove out their predators, and feed them (they put grain in the forest 
to feed them). And when these wild boars attack crops, and hunters are 
asked to contribute to the damage, they become outraged. It's the logic 
of arsonist firefighters: they destroy ecological balances, then demand 
that the costs be socialized. And in fact, this is already happening! An 
agreement was signed between the State, hunters, and agricultural 
representatives at the Paris International Agricultural Show. The State 
has allocated EUR80 million to support departmental hunting federations 
in their efforts to compensate affected farmers...

Far from being natural, the proliferation of wild boars is fueled by the 
actions of hunters, who raise and feed them.
PIXABAY/Toxal
Hunting: Private Recreation, Public Privilege
Demand No. 1: "Recognition of the general interest of French hunting and 
inclusion in UNESCO's intangible heritage"

Industrial hunting and recreational practices attack living organisms 
and destroy biodiversity. This is not heritage; it is domination. The 
"general interest" has nothing to do with corporate interests that 
defend the right to kill as a cultural tradition. The argument that 
regulation provides a service doesn't hold up for 30 seconds in the face 
of serious analysis: France raises tens of millions of birds for 
shooting each year, according to the National Union of Game Producers 
(SNPGC). Approximately 14 million pheasants and 5 million partridges are 
"produced" annually for hunting[1]. These farmed animals are released 
into the wild en masse (particularly every weekend from September to 
November) to be hunted, making France a European leader in farmed game.

Demand No. 11: "Freedom to continue hunting on weekends, vacations, and 
public holidays"

In France, hunters already have the right to hunt every day, according 
to certain departmental decrees, which is not the case in other European 
countries. This flexibility leads observers to say that "France holds 
the European record for the longest hunting season." In most other 
European countries, however, Sunday hunting is banned or highly 
regulated, and seasons are generally shorter and less flexible. 80% of 
French people are calling for an end to Sunday hunting. What hunters 
call freedom is the armed privatization of the countryside to the 
detriment of all other users (walkers, families, naturalists, etc.): 
according to a 2023 Ipsos survey, 89% of French people report feeling 
uneasy about walking in the forest due to hunting accidents, and this 
figure is only increasing year after year, including in rural areas.

The image of hunting as a rural practice is a myth: 70% of hunters live 
in cities, and only 4% are farmers.
PIXABAY/TheOtherKev
Demand No. 8: "Permission for hunters to sell their game without 
disproportionate regulatory constraints."

The regulations are there to guarantee food safety and health 
traceability. Removing this would open the door to a completely opaque 
and risky wild meat market.

Ecology in their own way: adulteration and predation
Demand No. 3: "Rejection of the ban on lead in hunting ammunition"

Lead is a major environmental poison, contaminating soil, water, and 
food chains[2]. The European Commission has proposed amending 
regulations on hunting ammunition and fishing equipment to limit the 
risks of lead poisoning, also known as lead poisoning, among hunters and 
their families. According to the European Chemicals Agency, 
approximately 13.8 million people, including 1.1 million children, are 
exposed to lead from game meat[3]. A study in the Camargue showed that 
despite the ban on lead since 2006, poisoning of waterfowl persists, 
endangering the entire food chain, including humans[4]. Defending lead 
is defending the poisoning of ecosystems in the name of ballistic 
comfort. It's irresponsible!

Demand No. 4: "Removal of all European moratoriums and maintenance of 
all huntable species"

PIXABAY/garten-gg
France has one of the longest lists of huntable species in Europe. 
According to experts, "the country will have 89 huntable species" in 
2024 (including 28 species in poor conservation status according to the 
IUCN[5]). Biodiversity is collapsing, and scientists are sounding the 
alarm[6]. Wanting to continue killing without limits is ecological 
denial. These moratoriums are minimal curbs on an already massive 
predation[7].

Demand No. 9: "Significant reduction of wolf populations"

The wolf is a natural regulator. The problem with pastoralism stems 
primarily from agribusiness and the neglect of small-scale livestock 
farmers[8]. Killing wolves is blaming nature for the problems created by 
capitalist agriculture.

Demand No. 10: "Return to the full list of 'pests' and maintain trapping 
and digging."

The term "pest" is a pure product of utilitarian thinking. All species 
have an ecological role. Crows and ravens, often considered pests, 
actually play a crucial ecological role. As scavengers, they help 
eliminate animal carcasses, thus preventing the spread of disease and 
contamination in crops and livestock feed[9]. Their action is 
particularly beneficial in agriculture, where they reduce populations of 
rodents and harmful insects, particularly white grubs, which can destroy 
crops. Furthermore, they contribute to seed dispersal, facilitating the 
repopulation of plant species[10]. Several initiatives in France, such 
as those in the towns of Rochefort and Saintes, demonstrate that it is 
possible to reconcile the presence of corvids with human interests by 
opting for respectful management methods such as scaring them away 
rather than killing them.

As for trapping and digging out, these are barbaric and outdated 
practices, based on a logic of total control over living things. France 
remains one of the last European countries to allow digging out, or 
underground hunting, a particularly cruel and indiscriminate method[11]. 
It involves sending small dogs into badger burrows to track them, 
digging the earth for several hours, then extracting the animals with 
tongs before killing them. According to an Ipsos poll conducted in 2023 
for One Voice, 84% of French people are in favor of banning digging out, 
regardless of the species concerned, a percentage that has remained 
stable since 2018. Trapping involves catching animals using devices 
specific to the target species so that they can then be shot by hunters, 
or left to die for days, unless they escape, mutilated. These traps 
catch wild and domestic animals indiscriminately.

Brutality disguised as folklore
Demand No. 5: "Recognition of the legitimacy of all traditional hunting 
practices"

PIXABAY/barbabs
Just because a practice is ancient doesn't mean it's acceptable. Female 
genital mutilation is also "traditional." Capturing birds with birdlime, 
nets, or traps is gratuitous suffering, not heritage. The word 
"tradition" camouflages brutal, non-selective practices that are 
prohibited in most European countries. What hunters call "culture" is 
often nothing more than ritualized violence.

Demand No. 7: "Creation of a fund dedicated to federations to finance 
environmental redevelopment actions."

These "developments" are often geared toward hunting, not ecological 
intervention: hedges are created to raise game, not for biodiversity. 
Living things are not a playground to be subsidized in order to kill 
them more easily. Moreover, the Court of Auditors reported in 2023 that 
the allocated funds are being used in the most opaque manner and 
demanded clarification[12].

In any case, the myth of the "good hunter" who loves flowers and knows 
the forest inside and out is a convenient excuse: in November 2021, on 
the set of RMC ("Les Grandes Gueules"), FNC President Willy Schraen 
explained his vision of hunting. Asked about species regulation, he 
replied bluntly: "My job isn't to be a hunter. I don't give a damn about 
regulating..." In the context of this speech, he stated that hunters 
hunt primarily for "pleasure" and not as "small hands for regulation." 
That says it all!

Faced with "unjustified attacks" from "technocrats" or "dogmatic 
environmentalists," as he put it, the FNC is portraying itself as the 
victim to better exert pressure on local elected officials. But behind 
this corporatist advocacy lies an outdated model clinging to the past. 
We want a vibrant, respected, and shared nature. Not a playground 
dominated by an armed minority. If we truly want to preserve the 
environment, it is imperative to challenge a capitalist and productivist 
model that plunders the earth, its resources, and its animals. It is 
high time to work towards a different model, a true coexistence that 
respects all living things, and a nature restored to its full biodiversity.

Nasham (UCL Montreuil)

Validate

[1]"Hunting Industry: Survey at the Leading Game Farm," L214, 2020.

[2]"Nearly 14 Million European Hunters Exposed to Lead in Game Meat," Le 
Figaro, April 15, 2025.

[3]"Lead in Game: 13.8 Million Europeans Exposed, Including More Than 
One Million Children," Ouest-France, April 15, 2025.

[4]Mondain-Monval, J.-Y., Defos Du Rau, P., Guillemain, M., and Olivier, 
A., "A Look Back at 10 Years of Using Non-Toxic Ammunition in the 
Camargue: Hunters' Effectiveness and Effects on Lead Contamination in 
Waterbirds," Conservation Science and Practice, 2017.

[5]"More than Half of the Species Threatened in France are not protected 
according to the IUCN.

[6]Nadia Drake, "The Sixth Mass Extinction Has Already Begun," National 
Geographic, 2016.

[7]"France, European Hunting Champion with 90 Killable Animal Species," 
Le HuffPost, September 6, 2023.

[8]"Wolf Predation on Wild Ungulates: Direct and Indirect Impacts," 
Fauna Sauvage, 2015.

[9]"France, European Hunting Champion with 90 Killable Animal Species," 
Le HuffPost, September 6, 2023.

[10]"Ravens and Crows: Pests or Beneficial Helpers of Nature?" ", 
L'Animal Cross, November 7, 2018.

[11]"Victories galore against digging out, a hunt that's slowly 
disappearing!", One Voice, September 16, 2024.

[12]"Public support for hunting federations," Cour des comptes, July 13, 
2023.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Chasse-Entre-pratique-retrograde-et-institutions-laxistes
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