For the birds: One Voice against the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition at the State Council, Monday December 17th

Scarcely appointed minister, one of the first decisions taken by François de Rugy was to adopt 11 ministerial orders authorizing the trapping of birds according to traditional methods and which are known to be cruel. As soon as we announced the publication of these orders, we announced that we would be attacking them one by one before the courts. One Voice has therefore filed an urgent request for the suspension of these orders, which will be examined at a hearing at the State Council on Monday 17^th December at 10.30 am.

Endangered birds already hunted everywhere in France

A recent study by the Museum of Natural History and the CNRS showed the significant decline of birds in our countryside, evoking a phenomenon of a “massive disappearance”, “close to an ecological disaster”, because of the reduction in their numbers by ‘a third in the last fifteen years, which is considerable.

These birds are already hunted by shooting in on French territory. These orders are in addition to the arsenal available to hunters and trappers to be able to kill, this is already so bad.

Cruel traps for birds, tradition is in the background

The few birds that survive in our countryside – despite the disappearance of natural areas and the spreading of pesticides, not only content by poisoning them directly they are also starving them by exterminating the insects – therefore they are not only shot on sight, but also caught in traps.

In flight, a net is distinguished only at the last moment. Too late to avoid it, legs and wings get stuck. In struggling, often the legs or wings break. Worse, if the birds manage to break away by squirming, they fall to the ground. If the fall is not fatal enough, injured they become too vulnerable to survive.

With the glue traps, the birds land on the coated branch, and cannot fly off. Again, the wings and legs are stuck, and the panicked birds hurt themselves while struggling.

The hunters / trappers argue that they free them if they are not part of the targeted species. But how many are bait for others? How many are to injured to survive? How many are poached?

If the State Council judges, as One Voice believes it will, that the orders must be suspended before the end of their legal validity and not because of a quota that would have been exceeded, this would be a significant step forward in bird conservation.

These intelligent and sensitive beings represent a wealth of biodiversity and are an integral part of the nation’s heritage.

Not only must these orders be suspended and rescinded, but One Voice is also advocating that these traps be banned.

One Voice calls for a radical reform of the hunt, with stricter restrictions on the hunt, and a ban on the cruellest practices, as a majority of French respondents (IPSOS poll for One Voice of 7^thOctober 2018). 84% of French people are in favour of banning traps for hunting (Glue to immobilize birds, nets to capture them without distinction of species, etc.) 76% believe this is already the case.

Here are the 11 decrees for which the hearing was fixed urgently by the State Council:

1. The decree of 24^th September 2018 concerning the capture of the skylark (Alauda arvensis) by means of nets in the Gironde department for the 2018-2019 campaign
2. The order of 24^th September 2018 concerning the capture of the skylark (Alauda arvensis) by means of nets and cage traps in the Landes department for the 2018-2019 season
3. The order of 24^th September 2018 concerning the capture of the skylark (Alauda arvensis) by means of nets andcage traps in the Lot-et-Garonne department for the 2018-2019 campaign
4. The order of 24^th September 2018 concerning the capture of the skylark (Alauda arvensis) by means of nets in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques for the 2018-2019 campaign
5. The decree of 24^th September 2018 concerning the use of glues for the capture of thrushes and blackbirds intended to serve as decoys, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department for the 2018-2019 campaign
6. The decree of 24^th September 2018 concerning the use of glues for the capture of thrushes and blackbirds intended to act as decoys, in the Alpes-Maritimes department for the 2018-2019 campaign
7. Decree of 24^th September 2018 on the use of glues for the capture of thrushes and blackbirds intended to serve as decoys, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône for the 2018-2019 campaign
8. The decree of 24^th September 2018 concerning the use of glues for the capture of thrushes and blackbirds intended to serve as decoys, in the department of Vaucluse for the 2018-2019 campaign
9. The decree of 24^th September 2018 concerning the capture of lapwings and golden plovers in the department of the Ardennes for the 2018-2019 campaign
10. The decree of 24^th September 2018 concerning the use of glues for the capture of thrushes and blackbirds intended to serve as decoys, in the department of Var for the 2018-2019 campaign
11. The decree of September 24^th, 2018 relating to tenderness thrushes or blackbirds in the department of the Ardennes for the campaign 2018-2019