One Voice is and always will be in favour of a true hunting reform!
The Secretary of State in charge of biodiversity is about to make an announcement on the safety of hunting after numerous accidents. One Voice is taking a stand.
More than eight in ten French people are in favour of a hunting ban two days a week including Sunday, and throughout the entirety of the school holidays (IPSOS/One Voice Survey, September 2022). Everywhere where One Voice has investigated in the hunting environment, alcohol has been present. Despite the ‘smoke and mirrors’ efforts by the Fédération nationale des chasseurs [National Federation of Hunters] to make its members aware of safety (like the reminder of 30° angles so as not to shoot your hunting neighbour), it is clear that they are insufficient to curb the deaths and injuries listed each year. The idea of training hunters in first aid is proof that there is nothing insignificant about this hobby.
According to Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice:
«Hunting is the only hobby that can kill those who do not practice it. The creation of a blood alcohol level offence in hunting would be a good start, but who would be in charge of carrying out the controls and what would the consequence be? We should not stop at the impact of setting it.»
A government won over by the hunting lobby
The Secretary of State in charge of Ecology, Bérangère Couillard, is launching a consultation this Tuesday on the areas of work regarding the safety of hunting. This is following a governmental policy very unfavourable towards free wildlife, at least since the first election of Emmanuel Macron, and a clear show in favour of hunters; and this is systematically ignoring legal decisions or devastating problems linked to climate chaos on the environment and its inhabitants. They also follow numerous manslaughters and injuries of varying severities on those who benefit from nature: local residents, cyclists, motorists, foragers, hikers…
The dramatic death of Morgan Keane who was shot while he was in his garden resulted in more than 122,000 signatures on the One Day One Hunter [Un jour un chasseur] petition on the Senate’s site. In line with our previous requests, it asked for safety in hunting, particularly through hunt-free days so that everyone can enjoy nature without risking their life. The Senate Committee welcomed us, like many of our partners, but submitted a report far from being on the level of what is at stake. For the umpteenth time, it takes waiting for humans to be a hunters’ target for the government to act against the privileges that they benefit from constantly.
On-the-ground expertise developed by One Voice on hunting
One Voice has been leading in-depth work on the world of hunting for many years. This whistle-blowing work is essential against a lobby who has connections with the President of the Republic’s office.
To show the reality ignored by non-hunters, their investigators have, among other things, infiltrated the gun hunting world, from hunting with hounds, penned hunting, or even underground fox and badger hunting with hounds, and shown what hunters do and say between them when they are not thinking about either monitoring or controls.
During these years of investigating, we have been witness to hunting parties where everyone was drinking wine in abundance at midday — and sometimes since the morning! — before multiple hunts. The statements made and recorded regarding safety are themselves just as alarming.
An animal defence association who has won many legal victories
One Voice has also filed numerous requests to have the prefectural and ministerial decrees cancelled that they consider to be abusive. Among their notable victories: the decree on glue-trapping, and the suspension and cancellations of the decrees on traditional hunting of small birds, alongside the LPO. But also the suspension of several decrees on mountain Galliformes and the additional period of digging out badgers, in particular.
This painstaking work has also made it possible, on a political level, to contribute to a law, albeit imperfect, on de-fencing in Sologne, and multiple law propositions.
French people have a favourable opinion of a radical hunting reform
One Voice had organised two successive annual joint marches for a radical reform of hunting before the pandemic hit the world in 2020.
The Association has supported around ten high-priority flagship measures for a radical reform of hunting, widely supported by around forty associations and several hundred thousands of people and validated by the opinions of French people (in several surveys by IPSOS in 2019, 2021, 2022).
It is obvious that One Voice is in favour of more measures to allow everyone to benefit from nature in peace. The minister does not seem closed off to the idea of no hunting on a Sunday. This will be a start. A limit on blood alcohol level before operating firearms identical to that in place before driving seems to be the minimum for us. It is high time! Provided that the controls and authorities are also there.
Translated from the French by Joely Justice