Seven associations launch a petition to remove foxes from the list of "Species Likely to Cause Damage"

An official petition has been submitted to the National Assembly to request the end of the classification of red foxes as a “species likely to cause damage” (ESOD). The associations behind this initiative are calling for urgent citizen mobilisation to put an end to the mass culling of these animals. To educate the general public on the subject and highlight the issues at stake in this petition, One Voice is organising a day of grassroot actions in 11 cities on Saturday 17 January.

ESOD classification leads to mass culling

Every year in France, at least 500,000 foxes are killed by shooting, trapping or digging out, practices made possible by their inclusion on the ESOD list, in 88 departments to date. This chilling figure highlights an alarming reality: foxes are subjected to these cruel practices on a large scale, for instance digging out, a method long documented by our associations as being particularly barbaric.

The fox, an essential ally for the environment and public health

However, this persecution has no scientific basis. Foxes are major allies in our territories: they control rodents that damage crops and carry diseases such as Lyme disease, thereby reducing agricultural losses, dependence on toxic rodenticides and the spread of a zoonosis that affects tens of thousands of people every year in France.

As omnivorous animals that spread plant species, and scavengers that eliminate carcasses, they are also an essential link in our ecosystems.

Fox “regulation” has proven to be ineffective

In 2023, ANSES confirmed that foxes do not pose a risk to public health. They have not been carriers of rabies since the disease was eradicated in 2001, and culling them increases the spread of echinococcosis.

The alleged damage is equally unfounded, with studies –including the CARELI programme– showing that killing foxes does nothing to reduce predation and that only appropriate protection of chicken coops is truly effective.

Finally, a natural regulation of the species is perfectly ensured through the availability of resources as illustrated by the results in Luxembourg where the cessation of fox hunting has caused neither overpopulation nor ecological imbalance. These conclusions have been confirmed by several recent scientific reports and studies which highlight the ineffectiveness of fox “regulation” measures (FRB, 2023) and expressly recommend removing these animals from the ESOD list (IGEDD, 13 February 2025).

The Council of State has already partially cancelled their classification in the regions of Aveyron, Haute-Loire and Lozère due to a lack of justification for systematic culling. On this occasion, the public rapporteur considered that “reason dictates that the ESOD system should be completely overhauled”.

Majority opposition from public opinion

Public opinion is also clear: 65% of French people are against this classification, and 71% oppose these massacres (IFOP poll, 2023).

With the massive collapse of biodiversity, 2026 is set to be a pivotal year for increased species conservation. It must not be a year in which the three-year decree keeping foxes on the ESOD list is renewed in complete contradiction with legal and scientific data and societal expectations.

Animal Cross, Aves France, ASPAS, Focale pour le Sauvage, FERUS, Pôle Grands Prédateurs and One Voice are jointly calling on the Ministry of Ecological Transition to end the classification of foxes as “ESOD”.

For them, every voice counts. To change the law authorising this deadly list, we are calling on the general public to sign and share our joint petition to the National Assembly.

One Voice is organising a day of action in 11 cities on 17 January

To raise public awareness about the issue and highlight the importance of this petition, One Voice is organising a day of action on 17 January in 11 cities: Fréjus (83), Nice (06), Metz (57), Brive-la-Gaillarde (19), Montpellier (34), Bar-le-Duc (55), Nantes (44), Troyes (10) and Limoges (87). Two other actions are planned, on 18 January in Toulouse (31) and on 24 January in La Rochelle (17) (details to follow).