In the Haute-Saône and Meurthe-et-Moselle regions, prefects gave carte blanche to kill animals
In the Haute-Saône region, the prefect has authorized the agents of the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB) and the lieutenants of louveterie and pests to kill as many coypus and muskrats as they please until the end of 2025. In the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, all animals considered as “game” and presenting a so-called “risk to public safety” are targeted until December 31… 2029! We are calling for the immediate suspension of these scandalous texts, and will be at the Besançon administrative court on February 10 at 2pm, then in Nancy the following day, at the same time.
The prefects are passing the word around. After the Indre-et-Loire and Ain prefects, it’s now the turn of the Haute-Saône and Meurthe-et-Moselle prefects to delegate life-or-death powers over animals to lieutenants of louveterie and pests. What about the orders that should normally be issued before each administrative beat hunt, the obligation to justify them and limit them in time and space? The State washes its hands of the matter. With its green light, valid for one year in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region and no less than five years in the Grand-Est region, sworn hunters can now organize these operations as they please, and shoot at anything that moves without referring to the authorities.
Unjustified and illegal regulations…
In the Haute-Saône region, the prefect may well have pulled a “ready-made” excuse out of his hat (coypus and muskrats are increasing in number, endangering riverbanks and certain structures), but no data has been added to the file to back up these assertions… But never mind: here, as in the Hautes-Pyrénées region or Corsica, the word of the State’s representatives is enough to exterminate all the individuals in their sights. Especially when they have been unjustly classified as “ESOD”. Victims of demented persecution, they can already be shot, trapped or dug up all year round, without any prior authorization. So why bother with damage control?
… published after the carnage began
In the Meurthe-et-Moselle region too, the prefecture is not afraid of being illegal. Not content with subjecting animals to uncontrolled pressure for years to come, it published its deadly decree a fortnight after it came into force. A well-known strategy by now, aimed at preventing us from taking legal action in time to save lives… But we’re not giving in and have counter-attacked, as we always do, the regions involved in these little arrangements. This collusion with hunters must stop!
In order to make the voices of the animals targeted by these texts heard, we’ll be at the hearing on February 10 at 2pm at the Besançon administrative court for the Haute-Saône region, then at the one on February 11 at 2pm at the Nancy administrative court for the Meurthe-et-Moselle region.