In the Loire-Atlantique region, hunts at the authorities' initiative... on the sly

Hunts at the authorities’ initiative in complete discretion

A few weeks ago, exasperated residents contacted us, tired of this organised rampage in the municipality of Frossay. Despite our research, it was impossible to find any orders authorising these operations, which were never published by the Prefect. How many towns in the region and in France are affected by these covert interventions?

In Frossay, these orders even authorise the officially appointed huntmasters to invite dozens of trackers –up to a hundred– to come and join in the “fun”. A new order dated 12 May gives the huntmaster authorisation to slaughter wild boars two days later using lead or buckshot, accompanied by 40 people! All this is done in complete secrecy, with no possibility for citizens or associations to take legal action in the hope of saving the animals, even though the judges often cancel these operations. This is yet another scheme to slaughter animals, put obstacles in our way, and prevent citizens from being informed about these killings.

For an end to these hunts and transparency from the prefectures!

These covertly organised days offer armed men a new privilege: to kill whenever they see fit. The protection of crops and public safety are now nothing more than pretexts: in reality, it is solely a matter of satisfying a minority of rifle-bearing people who want to prolong their morbid “passion”.

Faced with this abuse, the prefecture’s inaction is a clear political choice. Organising mass hunts without informing the public is condemning the animals without any possibility of appeal. We are sounding the alarm: transparency is not optional, especially when many of these animals do not survive.

Sign our petition now for a radical reform of this practice and join us in writing to the Prefect to demand a ban on these mass hunts and an end to this unacceptable lack of transparency!

Dear Prefect,

Every month, you authorise hunts of wild animals at the authorities’ initiative in the municipality of Frossay. However, these orders are never published in the prefecture’s registry of administrative acts (RAA). This practice is illegal, as these acts only come into force once they have been published.

This is particularly evident in the technical documentation of 26 November 2024 relating to the officially appointed huntmasters, which states that “the entry into force of a prefectural order authorising a hunt at the authorities’ initiative (this is a regulatory act) is subject to the publication of the order in the RAA of the Prefecture. The prefectural order comes into force the day after the text is published in the RAA”.

How many orders have been adopted in this way at the departmental level in recent months? How many animals have been killed in complete secrecy, without citizens or associations being able to take action to challenge these, often illegal, orders?

We ask you to put an end to these illegal mass killings, whose sole purpose is to allow hunters to indulge their passion out of season.

Allowing the officially appointed huntmasters to be accompanied by up to a hundred men of their choice to carry out these operations opens the door to massive abuse and contributes to turning this exceptional procedure into a disguised hunting season, which is unacceptable.

We also ask you to put an end to the lack of transparency and to publish all orders authorising hunts at the authorities’ initiative in the prefecture’s registry of administrative acts in sufficient time to allow any interested citizen to take legal action before the animals are killed.

Yours sincerely,