The adjournment of the order for the 2020-2021 season had acknowledged that hunting was a serious violation of turtledoves and, undoubtedly feeling the annulation coming, the ministry had decided not to resume the order until the end of July 2022 at the earliest.
Since the meeting on 20 December, the hunters, who had opposed us by supporting the ministerial order, found themselves abandoned in the middle of nowhere! We will explain: so that their intervention could be taken into account, they had to join either the defence (the ministry) or the petitioners (us, animal advocates). Yet the ministry did not submit a statement! In other words, the minister withdrew, and her allies, the hunters, were left high and dry. All of this is for the benefit of the turtledoves, who have been spared this year.
Clear rules
The government sets upon these birds
Thousands of turtledoves had already perished when the decision to suspend the decree was given, this in the context of it being the sixth mass extinction of animals on the planet, the birds being among those primarily concerned. Turtledoves are also supposed to benefit from protection in France and Europe under the Birds Directive that France has, on many occasions in recent years, happily trampled on (bird liming, traditional hunting, and then, once again with turtledove hunting).
Annulment of an abuse of power
In its decision on 30 December, the State Council specifically mentioned:
If the government tried to file a hunting order for turtledoves again, we would attack them again. But the fact that the ministry had not filed a statement gives us hope for the future. What a pity that we have to take them to court each time to be able to get to this point...
Translated from the French by Joely Justice
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trochu | Monday 03 January 2022