Suspension in the Allier region and upcoming hearings: underground badger hunting under scrutiny?
Every spring, badgers are targeted by prefects. And guns are replaced by pickaxes: hunters track the animals to the bottom of their burrows before killing them… The youngest among them have no chance of survival. Thanks to our first wave of appeals, the Court in Clermont-Ferrand has just put a stop to additional hunting periods in the Allier region. This is a strong signal that has not been followed by neighbouring departments in the Auvergne region. It is only the beginning: against the order in the Eure region, the next hearing at the Court in Rouen will be held on 26 June at 3.30pm* for One Voice with ASPAS, AVES, FNE Normandie and GMN (Groupe Mammalogique Normand).
A mixed respite for hundreds of badgers…
In the Allier region, the judge has put an end to the mass underground culling from 15 May to 30 June. This is a crucial period for young badgers who are still dependent on their mothers for survival. Of course, the Prefect has already hastened to open a second period from 1 July until the general opening of the hunting season in mid-September. We are not letting this pass and are once again taking up the fight by initiating a new emergency suspension procedure! And just like in 2024, fate is relentless for badgers in the Puy-de-Dôme and Cantal regions. Without any justification, the courts are only protecting some of these animals, which is a complete nonsense.
The momentum against unearthing intensifies
As the opening dates are pushed back year after year, underground hunting is more than ever being questioned. In the Eure region, it is open from 28 May to 15 September… Fifteen days less will not be enough! Especially when it is easy for diggers to slaughter these black and white-furred mustelids when they least expect it, i.e. while they are asleep. Many hunters accuse them of causing damage to crops, while others consider them, in complete bad faith, to be killers of farm animals. But what about the suffering of these families caught by force with claw traps? And what about the consequences for the crops, largely trampled and destroyed by the passage of these men in boots?
Our legal action continues. Together with ASPAS, AVES, FNE Normandie and GMN, we will be present at the hearing at the Court in Rouen on 26 June at 3.30pm* to suspend the order in the Eure region. Every voice counts in the fight against this cruel pastime: sign our petition!
* Updated on 23/06/2025
Second suspension in the Allier region and victory by default in the Lot!
After stopping the previous massacres, the judge in Clermont-Ferrand has once again suspended the decision authorising underground hunting during the summer between July and September. A happy ending for the badgers of the Allier region, who will no longer have to fear for their survival… And above all, a clear response to the tactics of the authorities who continue to issue more and more orders.
This good news is accompanied by a victory by default in the Lot region, following the Prefect’s dropping the additional period.
We will also be present on 17 July at 2pm at the Administrative Court in Limoges to have the order in the Haute-Vienne region suspended, together with our partners, ASPAS and AVES.
The badgers in the Eure region are saved!
The order authorising the killing of badgers in the Eure region has been suspended!
Hearings in early July against the relentless efforts of the prefects
On 2 July at 10am, we will be at the Administrative Court in Orléans to seek the annulment of the 2024 order in the Eure-et-Loir region which was suspended last year, together with ASPAS, AVES and Eure-et-Loire Nature. The judge will then examine the 2022 order from the Loir-et-Cher region which we challenged alongside ASPAS, AVES, LPO Centre-Val-de-Loire and Perche Nature.
And, after the great victory in early June, we will meet on 3 July at 9.30am at the Administrative Court in Clermont to suspend the second period in the Allier region, with our partners, LPO, FNE Aura, ASPAS and AVES!
Together with our partners AVES and ASPAS we are requesting the suspension of the following orders:
- On 3 July at 10:00am at the Administrative Court in Toulouse against the order for Lot and Tarn-et-Garonne;
- On 7 July at 10:00am at the Administrative Court in Châlons-en-Champagne against the order for Ardennes;
- On 9 July, with the support of the LPO, at 2pm at the Administrative Court in Poitiers, against the order for Charente-Maritime;
- On 9 July at 3pm at the Administrative Court in Orléans, against the open season in Eure-et-Loir.
Summary proceedings against the orders for Brittany
We will also be present for the summary proceedings against the orders for Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine at the Court in Rennes on 26 June at 10:30am, with AVES and ASPAS.
Upcoming hearings at the Administrative Court in Lyon
The appeals for the protection of badgers from hunters continue: on 26 June 2025, at 1.45pm, the Administrative Court in Lyon will rule on requests to overturn the orders for the Rhône region, each of which provides for an additional period in 2024 and 2025, with the LPO and FNE Rhône, and the order for Loire for 2024 with our partners, AVES, ASPAS and FNE Aura.