The Vienne Prefecture condemns an unlimited number of badgers to endure 30 days of hunting
On 14 October, the Prefecture of the Vienne region issued an order authorising the killing of badgers in Moulismes and the neighbouring municipalities of Plaisance, Adriers, Persac and Saulgé. The order was published too late to be suspended, with fanciful justifications –badgers suddenly becoming sheep killers– and without the slightest regard for either the animals or the law… Faced with this relentlessness and the illegality of the order, One Voice is taking legal action and requesting its annulment.
The order is tantamount to a declaration of war on badgers. While these animals can already be hunted throughout the current hunting season, as well as during additional unearthing periods, the Vienne Prefecture is adding to this by authorising a hunt of incomprehensible scale. For no less than 30 days, an unlimited number of individuals will be at risk of being killed within a radius of 233 kilometres. This vast playground will be open to anyone the officially appointed huntmaster deems useful to invite, without any supervision. The badgers will then be killed by any means the hunter deems appropriate… Perfect for thrill-seeking hunters, who will be able to indulge themselves to their heart’s content.
As the icing on the cake, this massacre was decided without prior consultation with the regional Director of Agriculture and Forestry. As for the citizens, they were not informed of the context or objectives of this operation, nor were they able to express their opinion on the matter, in total disregard of procedures.
Badgers… sheep killers?!
Why all the fuss? According to farmers, it’s because badgers attack… sheep. Who would believe such a tall tale? Certainly not the researchers who looked into this issue in 2024, pointing out that in no cases recorded in their study were any mustelids responsible for predation on sheep flocks. At best, they can feed on animals that are already dead, in which case it is not clear what harm this could do to farmers… Knowing that the damage caused by badgers to crops, however minimal, is very often exaggerated, these implausible statements are only half surprising…
Alternative measures exist
To justify this massacre, the authorities dare to claim that it is “necessary” because badgers supposedly cannot be trapped. When you know that hunters go after these animals deep in their burrows during every underground hunt, this sounds more than far-fetched. Once again, the State, hand in hand with trigger-happy individuals, demonstrates its obsession with bloodshed, without mentioning any alternative measures to these atrocities. Meanwhile, to protect crops in the long run, only the use of olfactory repellents, non-return flaps and low fences would be effective.
To protect badgers and prevent the authorities from finding new and increasingly far-fetched excuses, sign our petition for a radical reform of hunting.