The Administrative Court on badgers: Press release
On 19 June, One Voice, alongside ASPAS and AVES, will be present at the Administrative Court in Châlons-en-Champagne to demand an immediate halt to the digging-out of badgers — ‘underground hunting’ — in the Ardennes and Haute-Marne for the summer of 2026. This form of hunting relentlessly targets entire families even down in their burrows, despite the courts having already ruled it illegal during this period.
On 19 June 2026, the Administrative Court of Châlons-en-Champagne will examine two petitions for suspension filed by One Voice, ASPAS and AVES. The three organisations are calling for an immediate halt to the digging-out of badgers, which has been authorised since spring in the Ardennes and Haute-Marne.
This method involves sending dogs into burrows to corner the badgers. Trapped underground, sometimes for hours, the terrified animals are then dug out with spades, pulled from their burrows using large tongs and subsequently killed. This form of hunting leaves the inhabitants of the badger burrow with no chance of survival.
For at this time of year, the burrows are home to young badgers still unable to survive on their own. They may be killed on the spot during these operations, or condemned to die of hunger, thirst or exhaustion, slowly, left to suffer after their mothers have been killed.
A hunt already ruled unlawful
Article L. 424-10 of the French Environmental Code prohibits the killing of mammalian young. The Administrative Court of Châlons-en-Champagne has already made this clear in no uncertain terms: in three judgements dated 11 April 2024, it annulled additional periods of underground badger hunting, ruling that young badgers are not self-sufficient during the authorised period and must therefore still be regarded as ‘young’ within the meaning of the law.
And yet, the prefectures persist.
In Haute-Marne, the prefectural order of 12 May 2026 authorises this hunt from 15 May to 19 September 2026 in nearly half of the municipalities, and from 15 August to 19 September in the rest of the region. The explanatory note itself acknowledges the killing of juveniles.
In the Ardennes, the period runs from 1 June to 25 July 2026, with a quota of 110 badgers. On paper, the killing of young badgers weighing less than 8 kg and of lactating females is prohibited. In practice, however, the method remains indiscriminate: once released, the dogs, driven by the hunters, bite everything they find, adults and young alike.
One Voice demands the immediate suspension of these additional hunting periods. When it comes to badgers, the organisation will not back down.
The Administrative Court on badgers: Press release
Badger hunting: One Voice before the Administrative Court of Châlons-en-Champagne on 19 June