The Pyrénées-Orientales Prefect is playing hide and seek with his decrees

French law is unambiguous: administrative acts only come into effect after their official publication. Yet, since 2015, the Pyrénées-Orientales Prefect, under pressure from those who wish to practice their lethal hobby without being questioned, has been agreeing to evade French law.

In fact, at the time of the monthly publication of the so-called normal register of administrative acts (RAA) on their website, the Prefecture has taken the opportunity to make a large number of the decrees already being implemented, or even already implemented, public.

More than 200 decrees retrospectively passed

In 2022, they also published 238 decrees retrospectively allowing the ‘management’ of populations of wild boars, badgers, foxes, deer, pigeons, etc. with official hunts and/or individual shots. The ‘destructions’ had been carried out day and night with light sources in many towns, and sometimes even as close to 150 metres from houses.

In the greatest secrecy, the Prefect authorised a wolf-hunting lieutenant, accompanied by local hunters of their choice or even wolf-hunter lieutenants from neighbouring areas, to kill an unlimited number of individuals over a period ranging from a few days to around a month.

It was only once the ‘management operations’ were completed, or about to be completed, that the authorisation act was published on the Internet, too late for any of us to know...

Trampled democratic principles!

This practice is scandalous and completely undemocratic! It prevents all of those concerned from knowing about these authorisations within a reasonable time scale. It particularly deprives associations, such as One Voice, from the possibility of referring them to the appropriate courts to try to get them cancelled.

We are fighting for a minimum period of fifteen days to be introduced between the publication of decrees authorising official hunts or individual shots and the actual start of operations – something which is still not planned for currently. In fact, the publication frequently comes in one or two days after the hunts, making any legal appeal impossible and pointless, just as the case was specifically for the ibex in Bargy.

When it comes to the Pyrénées-Orientales, we have contacted the Prefect, Mr Rodrigue Furcy, several times. Unsurprisingly, we have not received any response. Worse, despite our many letters, he continues to publish his decrees well after them coming into effect.

The almost total disinterest of the political representatives for animal advocates is clearly demonstrated once again: the Prefecture proves their lack of consideration for animals who will be killed, alongside their contempt regarding our initiative for more transparency and legitimacy.

Let’s demand that the Prefecture respects the law!

Send the letter, downloadable here, to the Prefect. Thanks to you, there will be no other choice than to admit that this practice is illegal and to stop it as soon as possible.

Example: decree of 1 December... published on 4 January 2023

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

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Une fois de plus, un préfet comme bien d'autres autorités, abuse de son statut pour se permettre de ne pas respecter les lois et les arrêtés concernant la chasse et les massacres de très nombreux animaux de sa région, de quel droit ? C'est inadmissible et un tel personnage tout comme son attitude, doivent être dénoncés haut et fort. De tels agissements ne se font que sous la pression et demandent des chasseurs, qui ne valent guère mieux voir pire... C'est tout simplement insoutenable et insupportable que les animaux sauvages paient de leurs vies régulièrement, "juste pour satisfaire le lobby de la chasse", bien trop puissant et toujours vénéré par notre gouvernement, car ils votent pour lui, scandaleux !