Traditional hunting: the Council of State suspends new authorisations, saving 100,000 larks
Once again, the government has attempted to authorise traditional lark hunting in the south-west of France, bowing to the constant pressure from the hunting lobby. And once again, the courts have upheld the law by suspending these decrees just a few days before the start of the hunting season. Thanks to requests made by One Voice and the LPO, nearly 100,000 skylarks have escaped this planned massacre. This is a victory for the law, but above all for these animals who are victims of archaic traditions.
Once again, the message is clear: traditional hunting is unacceptable!
It is a battle that is being repeated year after year, despite our victories and despite the opposition of the French people, and one that we will continue to fight relentlessly so that skylarks are no longer captured in nets by the tens of thousands before being killed by hand.
This is gratuitous cruelty, passed down from another age, with nothing to justify it, especially at a time when their populations are plummeting everywhere.
For years, the courts, following cases brought by One Voice and the LPO, have been revoking these authorisations, whether they be attempts at “experiments” or orders setting quotas for catches using nets, glue or stone-crush traps.
But a few weeks ago, the government, always ready to bestow gifts upon the hunters, authorised them to kill nearly 100,000 larks in the autumn of 2025. Once again, the Council of State said stop.
If it perseveres, the government will always find us standing in its way
By persisting in reintroducing these practices, the government is trampling on animal life, court decisions and the public interest. It is time to put an end to this pointless, costly and undignified standoff, given that 83% of French people are opposed to these methods (Ipsos/One Voice, October 2022).
Thanks to this victory, 100,000 lives will be spared this year. But we will remain vigilant. Because we know that without particularly strong public pressure, they will regroup and reattack. While our request against the capture of wood pigeons with nets is ongoing, we remain fully mobilised to speak out on behalf of all these birds slaughtered for the deadly pleasure of a small minority.